.  0*  .  tOS 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 


THE   SWORD    OF 
THE  PYRAMIDS 


of  ittanp 


BY 
EDWARD  LYMAN  BILL 


R.  F.  FENNO  &  COMPANY 

18  EAST  I?TH  STREET         -  -  NEW  YORK 


COPYRIGHT,  1910 
BY  R.  F.  FENNO  &  COMPANY 


Tkt  S<worJ  of  the  Pyramidt 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.  PAQB 

Under  the  Pine  Tree 5 

CHAPTER  II. 
A  Sad  Day  in  July 22 

CHAPTER  III. 
A  Night  of  Adventure 87 

CHAPTER  IV. 
A  Thrilling  Ride 64 

CHAPTER  V. 
A  Fateful  Meeting 88 

CHAPTER  VI. 
The  Meeting  in  Richmond 80 

CHAPTER  VIL 
Shattered  Hopes 99 

CHAPTER  VHL 
At  Gettysburg 106 

CHAPTER  IX. 
The  Haunted  House 120 

CHAPTER  X. 
Appomattoz 146 

CHAPTER  XL 
Lucille's  Letter 151 

CHAPTER  XII. 
The  Voice  from  the  Grave ,.  Jfi7 


2125701 


yi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  Man  of  Destiny 174 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

TheDeadAlive 205 

•*      CHAPTER  XV. 
The  Primrose  Path 336 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
The  Offer  of  Napoleon  III 236 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Sword  of  the  Pyramids 255 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
«•  I  Accept " 273 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Knight-Errantry  in  Mexico 290 

CHAPTER  XX. 
«•  We  must  Watch  this  Lopez." 816 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Judas 882 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
The  Execution ,  . . .  343 


The  Sword  of  the  Pyramids* 


CHAPTEB  I. 

UNDER   THE   PINE   TREE. 

OVER  the  mountains  of  Virginia  the  shades  of  night 
are  fast  falling.  The  departing  rays  of  the  sun  are  still 
shooting  gleams  of  gold  on  the  higher  summits  of  the 
range,  while  the  heavy  pines  which  cluster  around  the 
lower  valleys  seem  almost  black  in  contrast — like  a  dark 
fringe  circling  a  golden-flecked  crown.  A  thread  of 
silver  twines  through  the  darkening  valley.  It  is  the 
Osakala  Biver  speeding  over  its  rocky  way,  foaming 
around  bowlders  and  hurrying  on  in  apparent  haste  to 
reach  the  sea.  Yonder,  miles  away,  the  fading  light  of 
the  sun  falls  upon  a  stone  building  halfway  up  the 
mountain  side.  It  is  the  only  bit  of  artificial  scenery 
visible.  The  country  presents  a  stretch  totally  lacking 
the  work  of  man.  About  the  house,  out-buildings, 
fences,  horses  and  cattle,  if  there,  are  not  visible  owing 
to  the  distance,  the  darkening  shadows,  and  the  inter- 
vening foliage.  Still,  in  spite  of  its  uninhabited  condi- 
tion there  is  an  attraction  about  the  country  which 


8  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

draws  one,  as  it  must  have  drawn  and  warmed  the  hearts 
of  the  Cavaliers  who  saw  here  an  opportunity  to  own 
huge  estates,  a  way  of  easy  living,  and  unlimited  fox- 
hunting, besides  transplanting  institutions  of  feudalism 
which  must  thrive  when  not  annoyed  by  meddlesome 
governmental  interference. 

In  the  gloaming  two  horsemen  came  slowly  down  the 
valley.  They  clattered  along  without  looking  either  to 
the  right  or  to  the  left.  Suddenly  the  younger  broke 
the  silence  by  saying : 

"Here  is  the  old  pine  where  we  were  to  meet  Uncle 
Pierre,  but  I  think  we  are  a  little  early  foi  him,"  taking 
out  his  watch  as  they  drew  rein  under  a  big  pine  which 
stood  out  like  a  giant  sentinel,  alone  in  its  silence  at  the 
outpost  of  the  lower  range. 

Let  us  look  at  the  two  men  who  are  to  play  a  promi- 
nent part  in  the  story  which  follows.  The  man  who  had 
spoken  was  of  commanding  presence,  tall,  and  in  his 
carriage  was  the  unmistakable  sign  of  one  born  to  rule. 
He  was  strongly  built  and  was  to  all  outward  appearance 
of  a  physique  which  is  capable  of  withstanding  much 
bodily  fatigue.  His  face  was  tanned  to  such  an  extent 
that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  predict  with  any  degree 
of  certainty  whether  his  original  complexion  was  light  or 
dark ;  his  hair,  a  reddish  bronze  in  color,  like  that  shade 
of  which  Titian  was  so  fond  in  his  paintings.  There  was 
nothing  particularly  noticeable  about  his  features  save 
his  eyes.  They  were  of  so  shifting,  changing  a  light 
that  it  became  almost  impossible  to  determine  their  true 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  7 

color.  They  were  not  wicked  eyes,  but  they  invariably 
left  the  impression  upon  any  one  after  talking  with  their 
possessor  that  they  were  of  such  a  peculiar  quality,  such 
changing  colors,  as  almost  to  give  evidence  of  the  chang- 
ing and  variable  moods  of  the  man  who  looked  through 
them.  His  age  may  have  been  anywhere  from  twenty- 
five  to  thirty ;  his  face  was  young ;  and  a  rather  small, 
neatly  trimmed  mustache  imparted  a  somewhat  boyish 
expression  to  his  features.  He  was  dressed  in  the  gray 
uniform  of  an  officer  in  the  Confederate  Army.  The 
long  boots,  the  saber  which  he  wore,  together  with  his 
ease  in  the  saddle,  told  to  which  branch  of  the  service 
he  belonged.  His  companion  was  a  trifle  older  and  more 
bulky  in  appearance.  Although  his  hair  was  devoid  of 
kink,  and  was  hardly  curly,  although  his  nose  was  thin 
and  aquiline,  his  mouth  firm,  lips  not  over  full,  yet  the 
moment  your  eyes  rested  on  this  man  you  knew  that 
other  than  Caucasian  blood  flowed  in  his  veins;  you 
knew  that  the  blood  of  the  negro  was  there  mingled  with 
an  aristocratic  strain.  The  two  men,  after  they  had 
halted  under  the  big  pine,  instinctively  raised  their 
hands  to  shade  their  eyes  while  they  gazed  long  and 
steadily  in  the  direction  of  the  stone  house  upon  the  far 
mountain  side.  Presently  the  last  described  drew  a  long 
breath  of  relief  and  exclaimed : 

"Ah,  I  see  Massa  Pierre  coming;  he's  jes'  over  yonder 
by  the  stream." 

"Yes,  I  see  him;  and  now,  Lafe,  suppose  you  lead  the 
horses  down  to  the  river,  water,  and  give  them  a  good  feed 


8  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

from  the  oats  in  your  saddlebags,  remove  their  saddles, 
and  give  them  all  the  rest  you  can.  You  know  we  hare  a 
hard  ride  for  the  night  unless  I  decide  to  go  up  to  the 
old  stone  house  with  Uncle  Pierre,"  said  the  young 
man  in  an  authoritative  tone,  as  he  quickly  slipped  from 
his  saddle  and  passed  the  rein  up  to  the  man  whom  he 
had  addressed  as  Lafe. 

"All  right,  Cap'n  Armand,"  replied  the  man,  as  he 
started  at  once  toward  the  stream,  leading  the  horse  lately 
ridden  by  the  young  officer. 

Left  alone,  the  young  man  leaned  against  the  tree  and 
watched  the  approach  of  the  horseman  for  whom  he  was 
waiting.  There  was  a  dash  and  a  carriage  in  the  old 
man  approaching — for  old  he  was — which  instinctively  re- 
minded one  of  the  soldiers  of  the  old  school.  There  was 
the  martial  carriage  which  at  once  you  would  associate 
with  the  dashing  gallants  of  the  days  of  the  chevaliers. 
He  was  a  very  old  man,  to  judge  from  the  wrinkles  and 
seams  which  ran  slantwise  and  crosswise  over  his  face ; 
it  could  be  plainly  seen  that  the  fount  of  youth  had  long 
since  been  dried  within  him ;  his  face  was  parchment 
like,  but  his  mustache,  snow-white  and  fiercely  waxed, 
imparted  to  his  looks  a  semblance  of  youthful  vigor. 
There  was  still  fire  in  the  old  man,  which  showed  in  the 
ease  with  which  he  rode  his  spirited  steed.  He  looked 
as  if  he  might  have  been  in  the  last  charge  of  the  Old 
Guard  at  Waterloo.  As  he  drew  up  to  a  halt  he  gave  a 
military  salute  to  the  younger  man,  who  rushed  forth  to 
meet  him.  They  greeted  each  other  effusively  in  French. 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  9 

after  which  the  younger  man  tethered  the  horse,  and 
together  they  seated  themselves  upon  the  greensward. 

"Your  message,  Uncle  Pierre,  stated  that  you  wished 
to  meet  me  here.  Of  course  I  construed  it  to  imply  that 
there  was  doubt  whether  your  home  would  be  accessible 
lo  me  at  this  time.  Some  reports  have  reached  our  lines 
that  a  considerable  number  of  men  from  the  main  army 
are  foraging  this  valley,  and  your  home  might  have  been 
wrecked,  or  at  present  used  as  headquarters  for  detach- 
ments from  the  Union  Army.  Or,  knowing  that  there 
are  many  spies  about,  you  might  not  care  to  have  your 
house  suspected  as  a  rendezvous  for  rebel  councils. 
Uncle,  I  am  right  glad  to  see  you.  I  know  or  believe 
that  you  must  have  had  something  of  importance  to  com- 
municate to  me,  or  you  would  not  have  sent  for  me  just 
at  this  time  when  a  Southern  soldier  should  be  where 
duty  calls." 

The  old  man  listened  attentively  to  the  almost  impetu- 
ous words  of  the  young  officer.  He  replied : 

"Yes,  Armand,  my  boy,  there  was  something  of  great 
importance,  something  that  might  affect  your  future  that 
I  desired  to  communicate  to  you." 

"Tell  me,  is  it  about  my  father  ?  Are  you  going  to 
clear  up  that  mystery  about  my  family?  Oh,  Pierre, 
Uncle  Pierre,  how  often  have  I  hoped  for  this.  You 
know,  sometimes  I  have  imagined — well,  what  nonsense 
will  not  a  young  man  evolve  from  that  part  of  his 
anatomy  which  he  designates  his  brains?  I  have  always 
known  since  I  was  sent,  a  little  toddler,  to  be  educated 


10  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

by  good  old  Father  Dumois,  at  New  Orleans,  that  there 
was  a  family  secret  regarding  my  birth.  Of  course  I 
was  too  young  to  realize  it  then,  but  years  after,  when  I 
was  a  youth,  I  overheard  Father  Dumois  conversing  with 
some  foreign  gentlemen  who  wore  decorations  upon  their 
breasts.  I  came  suddenly  in  upon  them,  and  the  eldest 
gentleman  came  up  to  me  and  patted  me  affectionately 
and  said :  'Looks  like  his  father,  has  his  eyes  and  his 
hair,  and  I  wonder  if  the  world  will  hear  as  much  of  him 
as  of  his  father. '  The  old  priest  looked  at  him  reprov- 
ingly, and  the  subject  was  changed.  And  after  the  gen- 
tleman's departure  this  incident  left  an  indelible 
impression  upon  my  mind.  As  I  grew  older  I  learned 
that  my  father  was  an  humble  schoolmaster  of  only  local 
note,  who  married  late  in  life  a  very  young  girl  who  died 
shortly  after  I  was  ushered  into  the  world.  How  could 
those  men  have  referred  to  my  father  in  the  manner  they 
did?  I,  of  course,  have  a  very  meager  knowledge  of 
him  whom  I  called  sire;  you  knew  him  well,  my  uncle." 

"Very  well,  for  years,  and  respected  him  greatly." 

"He  was  not  the  country  schoolmaster  all  his  life?" 

"No,  Armand." 

"Then  you  will  tell  me  all  now!  Oh,  uncle,  you  do 
not  realize  how  I  have  desired  to  know  all  that  you  can 
tell  me  of  my  family!  I  have  known  that  while  my 
father  was  to  all  outward  appearances  a  teacher  in  limited 
circumstances,  I  was  the  recipient  of  all  that  a  rich  man 
could  shower  upon  his  son.  I  have  learned  from  the  old 
nigger  Pete  that  you  joined  my  father  after  he  had 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  11 

resided  near  here  for  years.  He  said,  uncle,  that  you 
came  upon  the  scene  as  my  father's  rich  brother. 
Whence  you  came  I  have  never  known.  If  you  had 
lived  in  New  Orleans  I  should  have  heard  of  you,  and 
still  you  speak  French  fluently — the  French  of  Paris,  the 
same  accent  which  I  acquired  during  my  residence  in 
that  city.  I  have  always  been  told  that  my  family  were 
from  New  Orleans ;  yet  I  have  looked  up  the  records  and 
I  have  found  none  of  our  name  there.  Shortly  after  you 
came  to  this  state  you  purchased  the  stone  house. 
Father  came  then  with  you.  I  have  learned  that  you 
chose  the  stone  house  on  account  of  its  seclusion ;  that 
both  you  and  my  father  avoided  meeting  with  the  towns- 
people. I  have  learned  from  the  old  gossips  of  the  place 
that  one  time  you  and  my  father  drove  to  town  intend- 
ing to  remain  there  for  some  days  in  order  to  attend  to 
certain  business  affairs,  and  that  the  knowledge  that  two 
Frenchmen  were  visiting  there  caused  you  to  return 
home  without  once  calling  upon  your  lawyer.  The  old 
nigger  Pete,  who  died  last  year,  also  told  me  that  the 
day  you  returned  you  both  sat  for  hours  in  your  room 
cursing  French  spies.  All  of  this  and  more  has  intensi- 
fied the  desire  to  know  something  of  the  mystery  which 
shrouds  my  family  history." 

"You  shall  know  all." 

"Before  you  tell  me,  uncle,  let  me  ask  if  there  is  in 
my  family  the  black  shadow  of  an  accursed  crime — if  that 
crime  caused  my  father  to  seclude  himself  from  the 
haunts  of  his  fellow-men  ?  If  my  father  was  guilty  never 


12  THE  SWORD   OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

tell  me  of  what;  if  he  was  wrongfully  accused,  tell  me 
all." 

"Your  father  with  a  crime  on  his  soul?  Your  father 
was  a  patriot,  loyal  and  true !  My  boy,  I  must  hasten ; 
the  night  is  drawing  on  apace,  and  these  poor  old  rheu- 
matic bones  will  not  now  endure  the  bivouacs  of  old.  I 
am  sorry  that  I  do  not  consider  it  safe  for  you  to  come  out 
to  the  stone  house,  but  the  fact  is  the  old  place  is  closely 
watched.  There  are  plenty  who  know  my  relations  to 
you,  and  they  in  sonie  way  seem  to  have  gained  a  knowl- 
edge that  you  were  expected.  My  servants,  who  have 
been  employed  for  the  past  ten  days  in  the  outlying 
country,  report  that  there  are  numbers  of  spies  who  are 
watching  all  the  outer  approaches  to  the  house  by  the 
mountain  passes,  and  you  should  be  on  the  alert  when 
you  return.  They  know  that  my  sympathies  are  with 
the  South;  they  also  know  I  am  too  old  to  wield 
my  sword  in  its  cause,  yet  they  think  my  home  is  the 
rendezvous  for  the  almost  nightly  councils  of  those  who 
sympathize  with  the  Confederacy.  They  suspect  this, 
and  any  proof  would  cause  the  demolishing  of  the  entire 
property  by  the  application  of  the  torch.  That  should 
be  avoided,  my  boy.  We  wish  to  save  what  we  can,  and 
then  there  will  be  little  enough  at  the  end  of  this  war. 
Ah,  if  my  age  would  permit  of  my  once  more  riding  to 
the  sound  of  the  bugle — but  let  me  go  on,  Armand. 
When  I  sent  you  the  message  to  join  me  I  was  impelled 
by  the  desire  to  tell  you  the  secret  of  your  birth,  be- 
cause it  is  useless  for  me  to  deny  that  secret  there  is 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  13 

My  old  wound  had  broken  out  afresh,  and  with  the  latest 
onslaught  by  my  enemy,  the  rheumatism,"  here  the 
old  man  winced,  "I  believed  that  I  had  only  a  few  short 
days  to  tarry  here.  My  name  was  on  the  roll  call,  and 
as  I  was  about  to  be  mustered  out,  I  felt  that  I  could 
give  you  a  few  inspiring  words  regarding  your  father. 
I  cannot  tell  you  all,  but  a  few  words  from  me  might 
increase  your  ardor  on  many  a  hard-fought  field." 

"You  will  not,  then,  tell  the  secret  of  my  birth  and 
the  reason  why  it  has  been  withheld  so  long  from  me?" 

"Armand,  I  cannot;  I  am  bound  by  a  soldier's  oath 
not  to  reveal  to  you  the  true  facts  concerning  your 
father's  history.  I  have  prepared  all  your  father's  docu- 
ments, and  will  give  proofs  which  will  be  satisfying  to  you 
of  the  statement  which  I  am  to  make  before  I  leave  this 
spot.  Under  the  third  flagstone  leading  from  the  main 
entrance  to  the  stone  house,  you  will  find  buried  an 
ijon  box.  In  it  you  will  find  facts,  documents,  papers, 
everything.  You  will  also  find  a  decoration  which  your 
father  wore,  a  decoration,  higher  than  which  there  is 
none.  Your  father  wore  it  with  honor.  He  was  one  of 
the  noblest  of  leaders,  one  of  the  bravest  soldiers  the 
world  has  ever  seen." 

"My  father  a  soldier — decorated?  Why  has  all  this 
been  kept  from  me  ?  Surely  a  son  should  glory  in  the 
brave  record  of  his  father." 

"Ask  me  no  more,  Armand,"  and  the  old  man's  eyes 
were  moist ;  the  recollections  had  almost  overcome  him, 
and  recovering  himself  he  said;  "Your  word,  my  boy, 


U  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

that  you  will  not  seek  to  examine  the  contents  of  the  box 
until  the  reveille  has  sounded  for  me  and  I  have  joined 
my  old  commander." 

The  young  man's  hand  reached  out  and  gently  clasped 
the  elder's.  Neither  spoke  for  a  moment.  Then 
Armand  said  slowly : 

"My  dear  uncle,  my  second  father,  I  respect  and  shall 
hold  sacred  your  oath,  and  thanks  for  telling  me  the 
words  you  have.  They  will  be  recalled  when  face  to 
face  with  the  foe.  I  shall  remember  that  my  father  was 
a  gallant  soldier,  that  his  blood  flows  in  my  veins,  that 
I  have  a  name  to  maintain ;  some  day  I  shall  learn  that 
name;  but  for  the  present  let  Armand  Breton  suffice. 
Let  me  under  the  stars  and  bars  win  a  soldier's  name,  or 
if  destiny  compels,  find  a  soldier's  grave.  If  your  life's 
exit  marks  the  time  when  I  shall  know  that  which  for 
certain  reasons  you  now  withhold,  let  the  span  be  long, 
let  it  be  years  that  the  old  box  may  rust  in  hiding  ere 
my  eyes  shall  behold  the  secret  which  it  holds." 

"Thanks  Armand,  for  your  expressions  of  esteem.  The 
love  for  your  father,  my  promise  to  him  and  to  your 
sainted  mother,  compels  me  to  keep  the  secret ;  when  I 
am  gone  you  will  know  all ;  how  your  father  suffered — 
There,  I  must  leave  you  in  a  few  moments,  these  old 
bones  will  not  stand  the  chill  of  these  nights  on  the  moun- 
tain as  they  would  once.  What  think  you,  my  son,  of 
the  result  of  this  struggle  now  ?  You  know  an  old  man, 
alone,  away  from  the  theater  of  war,  is  not  at  all  times 
in  receipt  of  reliable  information,  and  I  suppose  much 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  15 

of  that  which  reaches  me  is  colored  with  prejudice. 
These  fellows  tell  me — ah,  I  know  how  unreliable  much 
of  the  war  news  is;  it  was  always  so,"  and  the  old  man 
sighed. 

"Well,  Uncle  Pierre,  one  thing  is  certain,  the  leaders 
of  the  Southern  cause  have  reason  to  believe  that  they 
have  a  bitter  fight  before  them.  It  has  been  settled  that 
those  cold-blooded  Puritans  will,  and  can,  fight.  You 
know  how  contemptuously  our  leaders  spoke  of  the 
plowmen  of  New  England ;  they  said  they  might  be  all 
right  OB  a  plowfield,  but  on  a  battlefield — why,  they 
scoffed  at  the  preposterous  conception.  I  tell  you,  uncle, 
that  matter  has  changed,  our  belief  has  been  shaken. 
But  you  know  the  inglorious  rout  at  Manassas  was  read 
everywhere  over  the  South  as  a  convincing  argument 
that  the  Yankees  could  not  fight,  and  that  our  cause  was 
as  good  as  won  already.  We  relaxed  our  preparatory 
efforts  instead  of  redoubling  them,  as  we  should  have 
done.  But  with  the  Yankees,  slow  to  anger  and  slow  to 
cool  when  once  aroused,  it  was  different.  They  at  once 
realized  that  if  they  coerced  the  South  it  would  require 
a  few  more  troops  than  the  seventy-five  thousand  that 
the  Federal  Government  first  called  for.  Their  country 
became  animated  with  the  hum  of  great  factories  for  the 
manufacture  of  the  munitions  of  war,  with  enlistments 
going  steadily  on,  while  our  land  in  a  measure  was  given 
over  to  celebrations  and  feastings;  that  was  valuable 
time  we  lost.  Still,  it  is  hardly  right  for  me,  a  young 
man,  to  criticise  the  acts  of  my  superiors;  but  as  you 


16  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

asked  for  my  opinion,  it  becomes  necessary  for  me  to 
state  that  which  is  uppermost  in  my  mind  regarding  the 
present  war." 

"You  do  not  regret  your  choice  in  this;  you  are  glad 
that  you  enlisted  under  the  Southern  bars?" 

"Why  do  you  ask  me  if  I  have  regret?  When  the 
echoes  of  the  guns  fired  on  Sumter  reached  me  in  dear 
old  Paris  I  lost  no  time  in  taking  a  steamer  at  once  for 
this  country.  I  preferred  to  enter  the  army  from  New 
Orleans  because  I  knew  there  I  would  meet  many  of  the 
friends  of  my  schooldays,  friends  who  would  stand 
shoulder  to  shoulder  with  me  to  strike  back  the  invaders 
of  our  fair  land.  There  in  sunny  old  New  Orleans  I 
would  enlist  under  the  Pelican  flag.  This  State  or  local- 
ity is  almost  foreign  to  me.  There  are,  however,  early 
associations  which  I  treasure  here,  memories  of  my 
mother,  of  my  father,  dearer  now  that  you  have  told  me 
of  his  valor.  But  my  boyhood — youth — all  have  passed 
within  the  gay  Southern  metropolis.  You  know  our 
division  is  made  up  of  the  best  blood  of  the  city.  The 
young  Creoles  whom  I  knew  in  those  gay  and  careless 
days  of  early  youth  make  up  the  rank  and  file  of  our 
regiment.  I  am  at  home  with  them.  I  should  almost 
feel  among  strangers  with  soldiers  from  this  vicinity." 

"You  have  a  great  chieftain,  Armand,  a  man  who  is 
destined  to  lead  the  South  on  to  great  victories,  and  after 
all,  it  must  be  the  leader  whose  genius  inspires — gives 
courage  to  the  men  in  action  and  out.  We  knew  that  at 
Moakowa  when " 


THE  SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  17 

"At  Moskowa,  uncle!  why,  surely  you  were  not 
there?" 

"I  did  not  say  that.  I  meant  to  say  that  in  order  to 
win  battles  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  the  army 
admire  and  place  confidence  in  their  leader.  It  was  the 
same  at  Moskowa,  where  the  dash  of  the  commanding 
general  won  the  day.  He  was  close  to  the  hearts  of  men, 
and  the  rank  and  file  of  his  army  venerated  him. ' ' 

"It  was  Marshal  Ney  who  commanded  there.  I  be- 
iieve  after  that  battle  the  title  of  Prince  of  Moskowa  was 
conferred  upon  him,  was  it  not?  Oh,  by  the  way,  uncle, 
you  know  the  old  soldier  General  D'Arville,  to  whom  you 
gave  me  letters  in  Paris,  was  a  warm  admirer  of  Ney. 
He  never  seemed  tired  of  recounting  his  exploits,  his 
triumphs,  and  his  glories;  he  bore  lightly  upon  his 
ignominious  end.  For  myself  I  must  say,  and  when  I 
did  say  it  the  old  general  got  so  wrathy  that  he  cursed 
in  two  languages,  that  in  my  opinion  Marshal  Ney 
merited  fully  his  treatment.  He  was  a  brave  soldier, 
true,  but  not  a  loyal  one. ' ' 

"Stop,  my  son,  you  shall  not  utter  such  words.  Mar- 
shal Ney  not  loyal !  It  is  a  lie,  boy,  do  you  hear,  an 
atrocious  lie.  He  was  a  patriot,  loyal,  true, ' '  and  the 
old  man's  eyes  fairly  blazed  with  excitement. 

"Well,  well,  uncle,  you  are  as  touchy  on  this  matter  as 
General  D'Arville,  whenever  the  Ney  matter  was  brought 
up.  He  never  seemed  to  weary  of  dilating  upon  the 
victories  of  the  unfortunate  Ney,  so  that  it  grew  at 
times  wearisome  to  me,  and  then  I  would  call  him  down 


18  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

by  remarking  that  I  thought  the  gallant  marshal  received 
his  just  deserts  in  the  early  morning  in  the  gardens  of 
Luxembourg." 

"Damn  it,  boy,  stop  that;  you  don't  know  how  unjust 
are  your  criticisms ;  you  shall  not, ' '  roared  the  old  man 
excitedly. 

"Oh,  well,  Uncle  Pierre,  if  you  are  so  touchy  upon 
the  deserts  of  this  man  who  was  shot  as  he  should  have 
been  for  being  a  traitor " 

"Don't,  my  son,  let  me  implore  you  to  go  no  further 
in  your  criticism." 

"Well,  to  oblige  you  I  will  refrain  from  expressing 
my  opinion  of  this  man,  whom  I  admire  for  the  posses- 
sion of  soldierly  qualities  of  the  highest  order;  still  I 
can  never  think  of  him  as  other  than  a  traitor. ' ' 

"In  years  to  come  you  may  have  reason  to  repent  of 
unkind  words." 

"I  hope  so,  but  I  cannot  see  why  I  should.  Oh,  by 
the  way,  you  know  I  heard  a  strange  rumor  regarding  the 
execution  of  Ney?" 

"What  kind  of  a  rumor?" 

"Why,  one  night  after  the  theater  we  sat  in  a  cafe 
sipping  our  absinthe  and  discussing  the  gossip  of  the 
boulevard.  At  the  next  table  sat  two  elderly  men. 
They  had  evidently  been  dining  well,  if  not  wisely. 
One  suddenly  brought  his  fist  down  with  a  force  which 
made  the  dishes  clatter.  This  attracted  my  attention  to 
the  words  which  followed.  He  said :  'I  tell  you  I  have 
absolute  proof  that  he  was  not  executed ;  it  was  arranged 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  19 

before  the  firing ;  lie  escaped,  and  went  to  America.  I 
know  a  man  who  saw  Marshal  Ney. '  It  made  an  impres- 
sion on  me  because  it  was  the  same  day  that  D'Arville 
censured  me  for  referring  to  Ney  in  the  manner  which  I 
did.  Of  course,  the  story  was  ridiculous.  You  have 
never  even  heard  the  silly  tale,  have  you?" 

"Possibly,  years  ago.     Did  D'Arville  treat  you  well?" 

"Seemed  very  kind  to  me,  but  was  a  crusty  old  fellow. 
Still  I  liked  him,  for  underneath  that  rough  exterior 
beat  a  heart  warm,  generous  and  impulsive.  I  found 
that  out  on  more  than  one  occasion.  In  all  of  my 
escapades,  the  old  general's  purse  was  always  open  when 
my  remittances  failed  to  arrive.  He  never  chided  me 
for  my  indiscretions ;  on  the  contrary  he  said  youth  was 
the  time  to  enjoy  life,  that  the  rose  color  vanished  in 
later  years.  Well,  uncle,  I  regret  that  I  cannot  accom- 
pany you  home,  but  I  know  that  under  the  conditions  it 
will  be  best  for  me  not  to  go  with  you.  I  will  call  Lafe, 
as  I  know  that  you  should  not  delay  later. ' '  Taking  a 
whistle  from  his  pocket  he  gave  three  sharp  calls. 

"There,  Uncle  Pierre,  he  will  have  had  the  horse  sad- 
dled and  here  within  a  few  minutes.  I  will  unfasten 
your  horse  and  bid  you  farewell." 

The  old  man  rose  slowly,  almost  painfully. 

"Ah,  Armand,  I  know  your  young,  hot  blood  is 
chafing  to  again  be  at  the  front.  I  am  sure  that  you 
must  rise  to  higher  rank ;  that  is  your  ambition  and 
destiny.  Take  an  old  man's  blessing  and  best  wishes 
for  your  success ;  may  your  future  be  bright ;  and  if  my 


20  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

eyes  should  never  behold  you  again,  you  will  always 
remember  the  affection  that  I  had  for  you. ' ' 

"That  I  will,  mon  pere,"  said  the  younger  heartily; 
and  after  their  affectionate  partings  had  been  said  they 
embraced,  and  the  old  man  was  assisted  to  mount.  Then 
he  turned  in  his  saddle. 

"Au  revoir,  monfih,"  he  said  as  he  struck  his  spurs 
into  the  flank  of  his  steed,  which,  smarting  under  the 
sudden  pain  inflicted,  dashed  forward  in  the  direction  of 
the  stone  house. 

Armand  Breton  stood  watching  the  fast  disappearing 
figure. 

"Dear  Uncle  Pierre,"  he  repeated.  "How  loyal 
to  his  promise;  and  still  he  did  wish  so  much  to 
tell  me  something  that  would  inspire  me,  that  would 
give  me  courage  under  trying  conditions.  "What  a 
strange  fact  he  revealed — my  father  a  soldier  of  renown, 
decorated ;  and  still  the  dear  old  fellow  will  withhold  my 
real  name.  It  must,  indeed,  be  a  strange  case  when  a 
son  is  told  that  his  family  name  is  not  unknown  to  the 
world,  is  untarnished,  and  still  for  some  strange  reason 
the  name  is  withheld.  Well,  I  suppose  I  must  be  satis- 
fied, and  the  knowledge  that  my  uncle  has  conveyed  to 
me  must  suffice.  Still,  no  one  can  quite  kill  the  curiosity 
which  is  accentuated  by  a  limited  knowledge  of  that 
which  interests.  I  suppose  I  shall  know  more  about  this 
matter  some  day — that  is,  if  I  outlive  Uncle  Pierre,  and 
from  appearances  I  should  say  that  the  span  of  life  would 
not  be  extended  much  further.  But  then  a  soldier  little 


THE  SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  21 

knows  how  soon  a  stray  shot  or  a  saber  cut  may  compel 
him  to  solve  the  mystery  of  the  hereafter.  Duty  calls, 
and  the  struggle  is  for  the  freedom  of  the  Southland, 
and  until  this  war  is  over  I  shall  not  learn  the  name 
which  I  inherit.  I  must  try  and  make  my  own  record 
as  Armand  Breton,  that  my  family  mantle  may  fall  on 
worthy  shoulders.  I  wonder  what  Lucille  will  say  when 
I  tell  her  of  the  mystery  which  shrouds  my  name ;  that 
another  greater — here,  where  am  I  getting?  I  must  not 
forget  that  for  the  present  I  am  Armand  Breton,  and 
may  I  carry  out  my  work  so  that  I  may  meet  with  honor 
anything  which  may  befall  me.  Yes,  Lafe,  we  are  going 
in  for  a  mighty  hard  ride.  The  horses  are  rested  well, 
are  they  not?" 

"Yes,  Cap'n  Armand." 

"Come  on  then,"  said  Armand  Breton,  as  he  swung 
himself  lightly  into  his  saddle.  "We  must  be  back  to 
battle  for  Southern  rights  and  Southern  independence;" 
and  on  they  swept  into  the  darkening  shadows  of  the 
night 


32  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 


CHAPTER  H. 

A   SAD    DAY   IN   JULY. 

THE  guns  of  Sumter  had  kindled  patriotic  fire  in  every 
hamlet  in  the  North.  From  the  busy  centers  of  New 
England,  pulsing  with  industrial  life,  to  the  boundless 
plains  of  the  great  West,  came  quickly  the  volunteers 
answering  response  to  the  great  Lincoln's  first  call — 
that  call  for  men  to  teach  the  haughty  Southerners  a 
lesson  for  firing  upon  the  flag  of  their  country,  and  try- 
ing to  dismember  the  republic  which  their  forefathers 
helped  to  establish  by  the  generous  offering  of  their 
blood.  The  West  caught  up  the  glorious  cry  and  sent 
it  back  echoing  again  amid  the  old  hills  of  New  England, 
where  the  sturdy  descendants  of  revolutionary  sires 
the  example  of  Putnam,  and 

"Left  their  plowshares  in  the  mold." 

the  steady  tramp  of  armed  men  was  heard  in 
a  city  and  town  as  the  serried  host  was  hurried  on 
toward  the  nation's  capital.  "Three  months'  enlist- 
ment!" Ah,  how  little  it  was  then  believed  that  the 
country  was  on  the  eve  of  a  civil  war  which  should 
shake  the  republic  to  its  very  foundation ;  that  the  "three- 
month  men,"  as  they  were  styled,  would  remain  in  their 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  23 

country's  service,  upholding  her  flag  on  many  a  hard- 
fought  field  for  three  years — yes,  and  four!  They  did 
not  weigh  the  fact  that  family  struggles  are  oftentimes 
the  bitterest,  that  a  vast  country  lay  south  of  them  which 
was  indisputably  a  unit  owing  to  the  pernicious  legacies 
of  the  institution  of  slavery,  which  poison  had  permeated 
every  portion  of  the  great  country  south  of  the  Ohio 
River.  How  little  the  Northern  leaders  appreciated  the 
tremendous  intellectual  unity  and  intense  loyalty  which 
the  Southern  chieftains,  political  and  military,  would 
manifest  toward  their  cause.  They  little  reckoned  that, 
alarmed  at  the  growing  political  preponderance  of  the 
free  States,  and  the  limitation  of  the  slaveholding  lines, 
they  would  fight  to  the  last  ditch;  that  back  of  the 
haughty  leaders  there  would  arise  phalanx  after  phalanx 
of  brave  men,  the  bone  and  sinew  of  the  country,  who 
were  impervious  to  fear,  and  who  at  the  beginning  were 
influenced  by  politicians,  yet  when  once  they  had  donned 
the  uniform  of  the  soldier  knew  no  more  of  defeat  than 
did  their  ancestors  when  battling  with  an  Indian  or  a 
foreign  foe. 

Many  a  youth  bade  his  sweetheart  farewell  with 
a  light  heart,  believing  that  in  a  few  weeks  he 
would  return.  Many  a  husband  kissed  his  wife  and 
little  ones  ere  he  crossed  his  threshold  on  his  departure 
for  Washington,  saying:  "Our  company  will  be  back 
before  the  summer."  Many  of  the  best  posted  men  in 
the  nation  said  that  the  rebellion  would  be  ended  at  the 
appearance  of  Northern  troops  in  Washington.  Many 


24  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

believed  that  the  crushing  of  the  youthful  Confederacy 
would  date  from  the  time  when  the  troops  were  massed 
at  the  capital ;  that  the  open  intention  of  the  government 
to  suppress  would  be  sufficient  to  bring  the  wayward 
children  of  the  Union  back  into  the  fold.  Had  not  the 
man  who  was  at  the  head  of  the  Confederacy  declared 
that  he  would  gladly  drink  all  the  blood  resulting  from 
war  between  the  States?  Many  a  home  around  whose 
hearthstone  sits  no  father,  many  a  lonesome  life  tells 
the  story  that  the  youth  never  came  back  to  the  girl  who 
all  the  years  remained  true  to  his  memory ;  that  the  wife 
still  mourns  for  her  absent  husband,  who  sleeps  in  the 
swamps  of  the  Wilderness.  From  Maine  to  Mendocino, 
empty  coat  sleeves  are  reminders  of  the  rivers  of  blood 
which  flowed  from  Manassas  to  Appomattox.  The  wave 
of  indignation  that  swept  over  the  North  after  the  guns 
of  Beauregard  had  reduced  the  walls  of  Sumter  was 
followed  by  a  universal  desire  to  avenge  the  insult  to 
the  nation's  flag.  The  gathering  of  the  rebel  forces  near 
"Washington  was  evidence  that  the  capital  itself  was 
threatened.  On  the  soil  of  Virginia  came  the  clash  of 
arms  which  marked  the  opening  of  the  gigantic  struggle 
between  the  slaveholding  and  free  States.  The  report  of 
the  disastrous  rout  of  the  Union  forces  was  flashed  over 
the  North  even  before  the  last  regiments  of  the  fleeing 
army  had  reached  safety  in  the  city  they  came  to  protect. 
The  first  messages  announcing  the  defeat  and  utter  rout 
of  the  raw  troops,  who  sallied  bravely  forth  to  meet  the 
foe  with  an  accompanying  escort  of  Congressmen,  who 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  25 

went  to  drink  confusion  to  the  Southerners  but  not  to 
fight  them,  was  first  regarded  in  the  North  as  incorrect. 
Subsequent  reports,  however,  confirmed  the  early  news. 
The  blood  of  the  Northern  volunteers  mingled  with  the 
wine  of  the  valorous  Congressmen,  who  in  their  haste  to 
flee  from  the  onslaught  of  the  victorious  rebels  left  even 
clothing  behind  in  their  efforts  to  attain  the  maximum 
speed  toward  Washington.  The  costly  lunches  and  cases 
of  wines  which  they  had  brought  down  to  the  front  to 
regale  themselves  with  while  they  witnessed  what  they 
anticipated  would  be  the  first  and  final  defeat  of  the 
Confederate  forces  were  untouched  by  them.  In  Early 's 
camp  that  night  the  officers'  mess  was  more  appetizing 
than  at  many  subsequent  times  during  the  checkered 
career  of  that  general.  Many  were  the  jokes  that  were 
passed  around  camp  at  the  expense  of  the  disappointed 
statesmen  who  were  then  crying  "On  to  Washington,"  a 
reversal  of  their  war  cry  of  a  few  hours  previous. 

The  people  of  the  North  could  hardly  credit  the  later 
reports ;  but  they  were  soon  confirmed  by  personal  tele- 
grams from  survivors  to  friends.  There  was  no  mistak- 
ing the  fact  that  the  Union  forces  had  been  whipped, 
badly  whipped  at  that.  At  the  bulletin  boards  in  the 
great  cities  excited  crowds  gathered  and  discussed  the 
news  from  Manassas.  At  the  corner  stores  in  the  agricul- 
tural districts  there  was  a  like  degree  of  excitement 
manifested.  In  fact  it  would  have  been  easy  to  have 
raised  an  army  of  half  a  million  men  within  twenty-four 
hours  after  the  defeat  of  the  Union  army  on  the  initial 


26  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

battle  ground  of  the  rebellion.  In  the  West  as  in  the 
East  the  direct  result  of  this  battle  was  to  teach  the 
North  that  rebellion  could  only  be  crushed  in  the  slave- 
holding  States  by  the  employment  of  large  forces  of  men 
and  capital.  The  people  quickly  showed  their  ability  to 
raise  both,  and  ere  long  the  furnaces  throughout  the 
land  glowed  with  heat  as  the  huge  molten  masses  were 
quickly  molded  into  armaments  and  munitions  of  war. 
It  was  at  the  time  when  the  country  was  at  the  first 
throes  of  excitement  after  the  retreat  to  Washington. 

The  weather  had  been  insufferably  warm  the  day  the 
tidings  came  from  Bull  Kun  ;  so  thought  two  ladies  who 
sat  upon  an  elevation  near  a  famous  summer  resort  over- 
looking the  lordly  Hudson.  The  elder  was  fanning  her- 
self vigorously,  hardly  pausing  in  the  rapid  sweeps  of 
her  fan,  while  the  younger  conversed  with  her  ;  she  held 
in  her  hand  a  yellow  message  —  a  telegram  which  had 
just  been  delivered  to  her.  She  was  evidently  excited, 
but  while  she  talked  the  elder  lady  only  wielded  her  fan 
more  vigorously. 

"Why,  mamma,  I  really  can't  see  why  you  take  things 
so  indifferently.  You  are  not  excited  in  the  least  —  and 


"Unduly  excited,  my  dear;  that  condition  you  should 
seek  to  avoid,  particularly  during  such  extremely  warm 
days." 

"But,  mamma,  how  can  I  suppress  my  excitement  or 
try  to  conceal  my  true  feelings  when  my  brother  is  in 
danger  —  may  be  dead." 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  27 

"My  dear  child,  my  anxiety  is  quite  as  keen  as  your 
own.  I  have  a  husband  and  a  son  in  danger. " 
"But  you  have  a  different  way  of  exhibiting  it." 
"Quite  right.  I  do  not  exhibit;  I  simply  assume  that 
which  you  term  indifference,  which  is  merely  not  giving 
open  expression  to  my  inner  feelings.  This  came  to  me 
only  after  years  of  frontier  life  with  your  father  at  the 
far-away  Indians  forts.  I  can  remember  when  I  was 
prone  to  give  myself  up  visibly  to  the  inner  emotions  of 
fear  which  filled  my  heart  when  the  colonel  was  away 
heading  a  scouting  party.  The  other  officers'  wives 
laughed  at  my  fears  when  I  first  went  West,  a  young 
girl.  Then,  too,  your  father  learned  how  much  I  con- 
tinued to  worry  on  account  of  this  danger  to  which  he 
was  constantly  exposed;  and  once  he  offered,  when  he 
found  me  in  tears  upon  his  return,  to  throw  up  his  com- 
mission in  the  army  and  return  East.  He  was  captain 
then,  and  I  knew  that  he  dearly  loved  his  profession  and 
was  in  the  direct  line  of  promotion.  I  knew  that  my 
weakness  was  causing  him  unhappiness,  and  I  sought  to 
control  as  well  as  to  conceal  my  anxiety.  I  think  that  I 
succeeded  admirably,  for  your  father  often  referred 
afterward  to  the  very  sensible  view  which  I  took,  or  at 
least  pretended  to  take,  of  all  the  dangerous  tasks  which 
were  assigned  him  to  carry  out.  I  remember  when  once 
his  body  was  made  a  target  for  an  Apache's  bullet,  and 
he  sent  one  of  his  men  ahead  of  his  litter  to  prepare  me 
for  the  shock.  I  knew  when  I  saw  the  corporal  that 
something  terrible  had  happened.  I  fainted  even  after 


28  THE  SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

he  said  that  the  wound  was  slight,  yet  when  my  husband 
was  brought  in  I  greeted  him  without  that  which  he 
formerly  used  to  characterize  as  my  woman's  weakness. 
You  see  he  detested  tears,  and  I  always  used  to  have  my 
little  crying  spells  alone.  By  and  by  I  forgot  them  alto- 
gether. When  he  was  hit  at  the  storming  of  Chepultepec, 
why,  I  received  the  news  quite  heroically,  even  though 
the  first  report  was  that  he  was  fatally  wounded.  You 
see,  my  dear,  while  I  have  followed  my  husband  through 
the  fortunes  of  war,  I  also  have  studied,  and  have  suc- 
ceeded in  a  fair  degree,  to  assume  the  same  indifference 
to  the  danger  which  confronts  my  husband  that  he  him- 
self manifests. ' ' 

"Is  this  plan  usually  adopted  by  the  wives  of  soldiers?" 

"Oh,  no,  I  have  seen  numerous  instances  where  officers 
preferred  to  have  their  wives  just  fall  upon  them  and 
weep,  and  of  course  the  women  receiving  this  kind  of 
encouragement  soon  became  most  demonstrative;  that 
was  always  distasteful  to  your  father,  and  a  soldier's 
wife,  like  his  men,  should  follow  him." 

"Do  you  feel  inwardly  alarmed  at  the  news  of  the 
Union  defeat  at  Bull  Run,  or  as  it  is  called  in  the  South, 
Manassas?" 

"Alarmed!  I  am  anxious,  but  what  can  we  do  but 
wait " 

"But,  mamma " 

"And  not  worry;  that  is  what  your  father  would  wish, 
and  I  always  try  to  follow  out  his  desires.  The  tele- 
gram shows  that  Washington  is  all  turmoil  and  excite- 


THE  SWORD   OF   THE  PYRAMIDS.  29 

ment.  Even  if  your  father  has  reached  the  city  it  is 
possible  that  he  has  been  unable  to  forward  any  message 
owing  to  the  accumulation  of  official  business  for  trans- 
mission, which  in  time  of  war  takes  precedence  of  any 
other  matter.  That  telegram  which  you  have  need  cause 
you  no  alarm  beyond  what  the  previous  situation  con- 
tained. It  simply  says  that  at  the  headquarters  in  New 
York  City  no  information  has  yet  been  received  from  the 
department  in  Washington  of  the  location  of  Colonel  Phil- 
lips' regiment  or  of  that  to  which  Lloyd  was  attached." 

"I  can  hardly  think  of  Lloyd  being  exposed  to  the 
hardships  of  battle,  and  when  I  do  I  think  of  him  lying 
on  the  field  wounded,  perhaps  unable  to  move.  Mother, 
do  you  think  if  this  trouble  had  not  come  on  us  that  he 
would  have  followed  the  profession  of  his  father?" 

"Why,  no,  Lucille,  I  do  not.  You  know  that  he 
showed  great  talent  for  painting,  and  I  think  that  his 
stay  in  Paris  would  have  been  prolonged  to  have  enabled 
him  to  follow  out  his  inclination  in  that  line  had  it  not 
been  for  the  gathering  of  this  war  cloud.  I  suppose  his 
father  has  written  him  some  letters  which  were  calcu- 
lated to  make  him  believe  that  his  place  was  here, 
upholding  the  cause  of  the  Union." 

"Well,  we  surely  have  no  cause  to  doubt  his  patriot- 
ism. He  came  as  quickly  as  he  could  after  South  Caro- 
lina passed  the  ordinance  of  secession.  He  came  with 
Mr.  Breton,  one  to  join  the  Northern  army,  and  one  to 
rapport  the  Confederate  government,"  and  the  young 
girl  sighed. 


30  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

"Yes,  Lucille,  although  Mr.  Breton  refrained  from 
any  strong  expression  of  opinion  while  in  our  presence, 
his  dignified  declaration  that  he  had  come  back  to  battle 
for  the  Southern  cause  showed,  to  my  mind,  his  manli- 
ness. ' ' 

"Then  you  do  not  condemn  him  for  following  the  flag 
of  his  State?" 

"I  cannot  condemn  any  man  who  owns  up  manfully  to 
a  certain  belief,  no  matter  how  much  I  may  differ  from 
him ;  but  still  again  I  cannot  help  thinking  how  wrong 
his  belief.  I  cannot  admire  any  man  who  fights  against 
the  country  which  gave  him  birth  as  a  rebel — as  a  traitor ! ' ' 

"And  do  you  think  of  Armand  Breton  as  a  traitor?" 

"Well,  I  did  not  when  he  looked  up  at  me  so  earnestly 
and  trustfully,  and  said  with  such  sincerity,  'I  think  my 
duty  lies  South. '  But  now,  when  I  think  of  him  clad 
in  the  habiliments  of  war,  face  to  face  with  my  husband 
and  son,  ready  to  strike  them  down  for  trying  to  pre- 
serve the  Union,  why,  yes,  Lucille,  I  suppose  I  look  upon 
him  as  a  traitor;  do  you  not?" 

"Why,  mamma,  when  you  speak  of  him  as  trying  to 
kill  papa  or  Lloyd  I  don't  believe  that  he  would.  I 
think  he  believed  that  he  is  entitled  to  his  opinion  as 
much  as  they,  and  has  a  right  to  uphold  it  in  the  same 
way,  if  he  chooses.  No,  mamma,  I  can  say  that  I  do  not 
think  of  Armand  Breton  as  a  traitor,  but  I  do  wish  he 
was  with,  instead  of  against,  us  in  this  horrible  war.  I 
can  hardly  think  of  one  who  has  sat  at  our  table  as  a 
guest,  as  a  chum  of  my  brother,  as  a  traitor  or  an  enemy 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  31 

either;"  and  a  defiant  little  gleam  of  light  shot  from 
Lucille 's  eyes,  and  a  pink  flush  illumined  her  cheeks. 

"Yes,  Lucille,  but  that  is  going  to  be  the  hardest  part 
of  this  war.  You  must  either  call  those  on  the  other 
side  traitors,  or  your  father  and  brother  are  in  the  wrong. 
Do  you  not  think  so?" 

"Why,  no;  I  suppose  you  know  more  about  these 
matters  than  I,  but  in  spite  of  my  father  and  brother 
being  on  the  Union  side,  I  cannot  think  of  Arinand 
Breton  as  a  traitor — that  is,  such  a  type  as  we  were 
taught  at  school.  I  am,  of  course,  only  a  young  girl 
whose  time  has  been  mostly  passed  in  a  seminary,  but  I 
know  while  there  we  girls  used  to  talk  this  matter  over, 
and  there  were  girls  from  the  South  who  took  just  as 
decided  a  stand  for  the  rights  of  the  South  as  any  of  us 
could  possibly  for  the  North.  Of  course  I  did  not  take 
a  warm  interest  in  the  matter,  but  they  used  to  get  very 
mad  in  their  debates,  and  wouldn't  speak  to  each  other 
for  days.  When  you  and  papa  came  up  from  that  old 
post  in  Arizona,  and  Lloyd  came  back  from  Europe, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  Breton,  who  passed  a  few  days  with 
us  before  leaving  for  New  Orleans,  I  thought  how  nice 
it  was  for  all  of  us  to  be  together  again ;  and  Mr.  Breton 
was  so  handsome,  and  Lloyd  and  he  were  such  friends — 
why,  it  seemed  so  cruel  and  so  unreal  to  think  of  their 
separating  and  going  to  fight  each  other.  Did  you  not 
think  Mr.  Breton  was  very  nice,  mamma?" 

"Why,  yes,  he  seemed  to  be  a  well-bred  gentleman." 

"His  French  was  just  perfect." 


32  THE  SWORD  OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

"I  think  Lloyd  said  that  he  had  passed  some  years  in 
Paris." 

"Oh,  yes,  he  had  been  pursuing  studies  there." 

"What  studies?  What  profession  was  he  fitting  him- 
self for?" 

"I  did  not  ask  him,  mamma.  Don't  you  think  him 
brave,  just  as  brave  as  Lloyd,  to  come  back  and  battle  for 
his  part  of  the  country?" 

"Why,  I  should  not  think  of  him  as  a  coward. " 

"And  he  had  no  father,  no  mother,  no  sister  to  urge 
him  to  come  or  fight  for  either. ' ' 

"Now,  don't  you  get  that  little  sentimental  head  filled 
up  with  silly  nonsense  about  a  good-looking,  smooth- 
tongued rebel." 

"But  I  like  Mr.  Breton." 

"Well,  see  that  you  confine  yourself  just  to  that  word, 
and  do  not  place  the  Southern  cause  above  our  own. 
Here  comes  that  garrulous  Mrs.  Hipkins,  whose  husband 
is  in  Congress,  a  fact  which  she  has  related  to  me  no  less 
than  twenty  times  since  we  have  been  here.  I  wonder 
if  she  can  have  received  any  word  that  I  have  not.  I  am 
getting  a  little  worried." 

"But,  mamma  I  thought  you  told  me  that  you  never 
permitted  yourself  to  get  worried. ' ' 

"Tut-tut,  my  child." 

A  large,  florid-faced  woman  at  this  juncture  came  up 
to  where  the  two  women  were  sitting.  Her  costume 
was  evidently  gotten  up  with  greater  regard  for  outward 
effect  than  for  comfort.  The  contrast  between  the 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  33 

feminine  types  presented  by  the  mother  and  daughter 
and  herself  was  strong  indeed.  With  a  gasp  that 
sounded  like  escaping  steam  she  sank  upon  the  settee 
beside  Mrs.  Phillips.  After  a  few  minutes,  which  were 
largely  devoted  to  heavy  sighing,  she  gasped  between 
breaths : 

"Oh,  Mrs.  Phillips,  isn't  it  awful?" 

"The  heat?  Yes,  it  is  somewhat  intense,  but  it  will  be 
cooler  when  the  sun  goes  down." 

"The  heat!  I  don't  mean  the  heat;  I  mean  that  battle 
that  is  going  on,  or  has  gone,  or  something,  I  don't  know 
which.  I  am  so  excited.  I  am  afraid  that  Mr.  Hipkins 
may  be  hurt.  It  is  just  like  him  to  place  himself  in  the 
line  of  danger.  He  never  thinks  of  how  worried  I  am 
and  how  much  I  care  for  Washington  society, ' '  and  her 
fan  was  vigorously  wielded  while  she  paused  for  breath. 

"Your  husband  is  not  in  danger,  is  he?  I  thought 
you  had  said  he  was  in  Congress. " 

"So  he  is,  but  he  wrote  me  that  he  was  going  down  to 
Bull  Kun  to  see  the  fun  and  see  the  rebels  get  licked, 
and  now  that  they  didn't  get  that  licking,  and  I  haven't 
heard  from  him,  I  am  afraid  he's  killed.  You  know  it 
was  just  like  him  to  have  taken  a  gun  from  some  soldier 
who  was  afraid  to  fight  and  take  his  place.  Henry  is 
so  brave.  Have  you  received  any  word  from  your 
folks,  Mrs.  Phillips  ?  Don 't  you  feel  worried  ? ' '  And  the 
fan  continued  to  oscillate  rapidly. 

"No,  I  have  heard  nothing  definite,  and  I  am  not 
worried.  I  am,  however,  expecting  a  message  from 


34  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

Colonel  Phillips,  and  here  comes  Thomas  now  with  a 
telegram. ' '  Just  then  an  attendant  from  the  hotel  came 
bounding  up  the  steps  leading  to  the  hill  where  the  ex- 
pectant party  were  sitting. 

"A  telegram  for  you,  Mrs.  Phillips,  and  the  papers  will 
be  right  up, ' '  he  said,  bowing  politely  to  the  lady  as  he 
handed  her  a  telegram. 

Mrs.  Phillips  calmly  adjusted  her  glasses  before  open- 
ing the  message. 

"Oh,  mamma,  hurry  up;  I  am  just  dying  with  im- 
patience, ' '  said  Lucille,  as  she  clinched  her  hands  tightly, 
while  she  eagerly  watched  her  mother's  deliberate  prepa- 
rations. Her  mother,  without  replying,  calmly  tore  off 
the  end  of  the  envelope,  and  as  she  read  scarcely  a 
muscle  of  her  face  changed.  Whether  the  news  was 
pleasant  or  otherwise  could  not  be  discerned  if  her  face 
was  an  index.  The  young  girl  said  impetuously : 

"Tell  me  quick,  mamma,  are  they  hurt?" 

"Not  they,  but  one,  and  not  seriously  either,  I  trust, 
from  this  message,"  calmly  replied  the  elder.  "This 
is  from  Colonel  Phillips.  He  wires:  'Lloyd  is  all  right; 
so  am  I  with  the  exception  of  a  slight  wound.  Shall  see 
you  soon. '  Now,  I  know  that  the  colonel  is  not  in  the 
habit  of  stating  other  than  facts,  so  I  see  no  reason  for 
being  alarmed,  for  when  he  says  'a  slight  wound'  I  know 
that  it  is  not  serious. ' ' 

"Will  you  go  to  Washington  to  see  him?"  asked 
Lucille. 

"Certaiuly  not.     If    your  father  wishes  ine  he   will 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  35 

telegraph  for  me.  Why,  he  may  be  even  now  on  his  way 
here." 

"I  am  so  glad,  mamma,  that  you  think  there  is  no 
reason  for  worry,  but  this  suspense  has  excited  me  so  I 
don't  know  whether  to  laugh  or  to  cry.  How  I  should 
like  to  know  if  Armand  Breton  is  wounded  I  It  would  be 
just  awful." 

Mrs.  Hipkins  said  with  emphasis : 

"I  wish  I  could  have  had  such  good  word  about  my 
husband.  I  do  hope  I  may  have  some  news.  Maybe 
we  will  hear  something  in  the  papers ;  that  boy  said  they 
would  be  right  along,  didn't  he?  Suppose  we  walk  down 
to  the  hotel  and  get  an  early  copy." 

"Stay,  it  is  not  necessary,  as  that  boy  is  coming  up 
with  them.  Well,  Thomas,"  said  Mrs.  Phillips  as  the 
boy  handed  her  a  paper  and  another  to  Mrs.  Hipkins, 
"what  do  the  papers  say?" 

"Oh,  lots  of  things,  ma'am.  They  say  that  the  troops 
came  pell-mell  back  to  Washington.  They  got  awfully 
licked  at  Bull  Run,  and  that  some  of  the  Congressmen 
were  captured." 

Here  Mrs.  Hipkins,  who  was  closely  scanning  her  paper, 
gave  a  shriek.  "Hear  this,"  she  cried,  reading  aloud: 

"  "There  was  a  party  of  jolly  Congressmen  who  went 
down  to  see  the  fun.  They  had  provided  bountiful 
lunches  and  innumerable  cases  of  wine.  Their  pleasure 
jaunt  terminated  differently  from  what  they  had  antici- 
pated. The  victorious  Southerners  were  rude  enough  to 
interrupt  their  repast,  appropriated  to  their  own  use  the 


36  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

•wines  and  sandwiches,  retaining  the  statesmen  as  well. 
Among  the  Congressmen  captured  was  Henry  Hipkins — '* 
With  an  incoherent  "Oh!"  Mrs.  Hipkins  flung  the  paper 
which  contained  the  notice  from  her  and  said : 

"My  poor  Henry!  Suppose  they  keep  you?  Suppose 
you  don't  get  away  in  time  to  run  for  re-election?  That 
spiteful  red-headed  Jones  will  be  elected  in  your  place. 
It  is  just  too  bad;"  and  she  sped  toward  the  hotel,  leav- 
ing the  other  ladies  to  discuss  alone  the  situation  as  it 
closed  that  hot  July  night  after  the  Union  forces  had 
met  defeat  upon  that  battle  ground  where  the  blue  and 
the  gray  first  met. 

The  first  martial  effervescence  of  the  country  was  over 
• — the  South  was  triumphant  and  confident,  the  North 
disappointed,  but  awakened  to  the  seriousness  of  the 
situation  which  confronted  them  upon  the  first  recoil 
from  contact  with  Southern  arms. 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  37 


A   NIGHT    OF   ADVENTURE. 

WE  return  to  the  horsemen  whom  we  left  in  the 
mountain  fastnesses  of  Virginia. 

For  more  than  an  hour  a  silence  was  maintained  be- 
tween them.  The  young  captain,  thinking  over  all  that 
had  been  told  him,  was  silent  and  uncommunicative,  and 
Lafe  discreetly  said  nothing  as  they  rode  on,  knowing 
that  his  master  did  not  wish  any  interruption  in  the  line 
of  thought  in  which  apparently  he  was  deeply  buried. 
The  night  was  very  dark.  Lafe  being  familiar  with  the 
country  was  riding  ahead.  Suddenly  he  slowed  his 
horse  down  to  a  walk  and  began  to  peer  into  the  dark- 
ness as  if  seeking  some  familiar  landmark.  Captain 
Breton  halted  and  asked : 

"What  is  it,  Lafe?" 

"Well,  yo'  see,  Cap'n  Armand,  it's  Borne  time  since  I's 
been  over  this  road,  and  it  is  about  heah  where  the  fork 
of  the  road  is,  where  we  branch  off,  and  I  want  ter  be 
po'ful  certain  that  we  get  inter  th'  side  road,  or  we's 
apt  to  run  inter  something  that  won't  be  very  pleasant." 

"Well,  be  sure  we  get  started  right.  I  wish  to  avoid 
any  trouble  down  here  that  might  bring  any  further 


38  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

suspicion  upon  Uncle  Pierre.  Why,  what  are  you  about  ? 
Do  you  mean  to  say  that  we  will  not  follow  the  road  by 
which  we  came?"  he  added.  His  servant  had  come  to  a 
halt  and  had  slipped  from  his  horse,  while  he  was  exam- 
ining the  roadside. 

"Not  'xactly,  Cap'n  Armand.  There  is  two  roads 
heah — one  that  leads  roun'  the  mountain,  and  then 
inter  the  big  one  the  other  side ;  that  is,  it  turns  in  ter 
the  road  we  come  by.  There  might  be  soldiers  back  on 
the  big  road,  and  by  going  round  the  mountain  we  would 
pass  'em." 

' '  Quite  right,  Laf e ;  you  have  the  advantage  of  know- 
ing all  of  the  mountain  paths  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
But  suppose  these  fellows  have  learned  of  the  round- 
about path  and  have  a  guard  posted  there?" 

"Then  we  mus'  take  chances,  an'  I's  takin'  no  bigger 
chances  than  I's  forced  to,"  replied  Lafe,  as  he  con- 
tinued his  examinations.  "Ah,  now  I's  suah, "  he  said, 
as  he  tapped  a  large  stone.  "This  stone,  cap'n,  marks 
the  spot  where  we  turn  in.  No  openin',  but  it's  all 
right  as  soon  as  we's  through  the  brush." 

The  young  officer  followed  Lafe  as  he  entered  the 
opening,  which  after  a  few  steps  brought  them  into  a 
bridle  path  of  fair  width. 

"This  is  a  longer  road  than  the  one  we  just  left,  but  a 
heap  sight  safer, ' '  said  Lafe,  as  he  remounted  and  fell 
into  the  path  alongside  of  his  master. 

"Yes,  and  I  am  not  particularly  anxious  for  a  brush 
with  any  of  these  stray  detachments  from  the  regular 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  39 

army  which  are  lying  in  wait  to  pick  one  out  of  his  sad- 
dle before  he  has  had  an  opportunity  to  fight  for  his  life ; 
besides,  I  have  always  detested  fighting  in  the  dark." 

"We'd  better  move  along  without  speakin',  'cause  some 
of  the  boys  round  heah  may  have  told  about  this  yer 
road,  and  maybe  we's  seen  comin'  up  the  valley  to-night, 
cap'n,  'cause  we  come  without  tryin'  to  hide  much." 

"All  right,  Lafe,  follow  me  about  ten  yards  distant 
and  we  will  proceed  with  some  caution  until  we  get 
around  the  mountain ;  then  we  can  press  on  rapidly.  We 
ought  to  get  within  our  lines  by  to-morrow  evening. ' ' 

So  on  they  rode,  the  captain  in  advance,  but  not  alert. 
Lafe  had  noticed  that  he  was  in  a  mood  far  from  watch- 
ful, therefore  he  had  disregarded  his  orders  to  remain  in 
the  rear  and  had  gradually  drawn  nearer,  until  his  horse 
was  almost  abreast  that  of  his  master.  The  silence 
between  them  was  suddenly  broken  by  the  stumbling  of 
the  officer's  horse.  With  a  half -suppressed  curse  the 
rider  straightened  back  as  he  narrowly  escaped  being 
hurled  to  the  ground  by  the  sudden  fall  of  his  horse. 
Just  then  came  a  quick  call  in  front: 

' '  Halt !  who  goes  there  V ' 

Without  considering  a  second  Captain  Breton  replied : 

"Friends  of  the  South." 

With  a  quick  yell  of  "Come  on,  Lafe,"  he  put  spurs  to 
his  horse  and  dashed  down  directly  to  the  point,  as  nearly 
as  he  could  distinguish,  from  whence  the  call  came. 
Sharp  flashes  followed  as  a  quick  volley  was  poured  at 
them  as  they  swept  by,  they  returning  the  salute  by 


40  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

emptying  the  contents  of  their  pistols  in  the  darkness  at 
the  point  where  the  sharp  flashes  told  of  the  location  of 
the  enemy.  Once  by,  the  two  again  wheeled  in  their 
saddles,  while  their  revolvers  poured  a  parting  volley  at 
their  assailants.  After  a  few  minutes'  hard  riding  the;, 
halted  and  listened. 

"Are  you  hurt,  Lafe?"  asked  the  captain. 

"Not  a  scratch,  cap'n.     Are  you?" 

"And  your  horse?" 

"Sound  and  on  both  legs,  sah. " 

"I'm  all  right.  They  are  not  following,  either,  as 
there  are  no  sounds.  Now,  then,  do  you  know  what  I 
propose  to  do?" 

"No,  cap'n;  but  I's  just  listenin'. " 

"Well,  for  that  cowardly  attack,  which  is  not  war,  but 
assassination,  I  propose  to  teach  them  a  few  things  that 
they  will  not  forget  to-morrow.  Load  your  pistols  and 
we  will  retrace  our  steps. ' ' 

"Go  back?" 

"Yes,  and  I  will  have  my  turn  now.  They  have  given 
up  the  pursuit  and  will  not  expect  us  to  return.  There- 
fore, not  anticipating  us  they  will  be  talking  over  the 
results  of  their  attack.  We  can  locate  them  then. 
Understand,  Lafe,  I  want  you  to  follow  me  as  you  have 
done  on  previous  occasions.  Shoot  quick,  do  you  hear, 
and  have  your  sword  in  readiness,  as  I  propose  to  run 
them  down." 

"Yes,  cap'n,  Iheah." 

"Then  follow  me,"  and  as  the  officer  turned  about  hid 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  41 

steed  bis  eyes  seemed  to  emit  phosphorescent  flashes  of 
light.  Slowly  and  cautiously  they  retraced  their  way, 
approaching  the  point  where  they  had  been  fired  upon. 
It  was  shortly  after  that  Lafe,  leaning  over  toward  his 
master's  saddle,  whispered: 

"Dar  dey  are;  I  heah  voices." 

"Yes,  and  now  slowly  and  softly,  and  not  a  word  until 
I  order,  and  then  follow." 

They  continued  in  the  direction  of  the  voices,  which 
reached  them  faintly.  Just  then  the  moon,  struggling 
between  banks  of  clouds,  threw  a  pale,  weird  light 
through  the  thick  branches  of  the  trees.  The  light  only 
seemed  to  flash  a  second,  but  that  time  was  sufficient  for 
Captain  Breton  to  distinguish  a  small  body  of  horsemen 
riding  a  short  distance  ahead.  Then  there  was  darkness, 
intensified  by  the  sudden  withdrawal  of  the  pale 
light. 

The  momentary  gleam  had  been  sufficient  for  the  offi- 
cer's purpose.  He  drove  his  spurs  deep  in  the  flanks  of  his 
steed,  and  with  a  yell  he  dashed  forward,  "Charge  them, 
boy  s,  "and  was  among  the  dark,  fleeing  mass,  shooting 
with  one  hand  and  slashing  with  his  right — followed  by 
the  willing  Lafe.  The  onslaught  had  been  unexpected, 
and  not  knowing  the  strength  of  the  attacking  party, 
their  former  assailants  never  made  a  stand.  Their  re- 
treat was  a  disorganized  run.  So  rapidly  and  skillfully 
were  the  blades  wielded  that  it  seemed  as  if  the  attack 
came  from  at  least  a  half-dozen  sources.  After  empty- 
ing their  pistols,  and  some  saddles  as  well,  and  using 


4$  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

their  sabers  with  telling  effect,  the  captain  gave  the 
order  to  cease  fighting,  and  Lafe  and  he  jogged  leisurely 
back. 

"Load  your  pistols  again,"  was  the  first  order  given 
by  the  leader,  after  he  had  learned  that  they  both  were 
practically  uninjured,  with  the  exception  of  a  saber  cut 
which  he  himself  had  received  in  the  arm,  the  extent  of 
which  he  was  unable  to  determine  in  the  darkness. 

"Somehow  I  think  we're  in  for  it  to-night,  for  if  they 
were  posted  in  this  hidden  road,  why  not  another  body 
of  men  at  the  entrance  on  the  other  side  of  the  moun- 
tain ? — and  if  so  will  they  not  have  heard  the  shots  and 
perhaps  even  now  may  be  hastening  to  lend  their  assist- 
ance to  the  men  whom  we  have  just  left?" 

"Yes;  but,  cap'n,  suppose  they  had  been,  wouldn't  they 
have  gone  down  the  other  way,  not  supposin*  for  a 
moment  that  we'd  get  by  'em  heah?" 

"No,  because  the  second  firing  would  puzzle  them  if 
they  heard  both.  How  far  should  you  judge  that  we 
were  from  the  other  side  of  the  mountain,  the  point 
where  we  would  strike  the  mountain  road?" 

"About  one  mile,  maybe  two;  it  is  so  dark  I  can't  tell 
just  where  we  are." 

"Get  off  your  horse,  Lafe;  put  your  ear  to  the  ground, 
and  tell  me  if  you  can  distinguish  any  sounds. ' ' 

Lafe  slipped  to  the  ground  and  listened.  He  gave 
vent  to  a  hearty  chuckle. 

"What  is  it,  Lafe?" 

"Why,  golly,  cap'n,  them  soldiers  ain't  quit  runnin' 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  43 

yet.  I  can  hear  their  hoofs  a-rattlin*.  Ther's  a  heap  on 
'em,  too. " 

"In  which  direction  do  you  hear  the  sounds?" 

"Why,  behind  us.  No,  it  is — there  they  are  right 
ahead  of  us;  that's  funny. 

"Not  in  the  least  funny.  It  is  very  serious,  especially 
with  my  wounded  arm.  I  am  not  anxious  to  engage  in 
any  more  active  warfare  to-night,  and  it  means  that  the 
men  whom  I  have  suspected  of  being  near  the  other  end 
of  this  road  were  there,  and  alarmed  by  the  sound  of  fire- 
arms are  now  coming  this  way.  They  know  that  there 
is  trouble  down  here.  How  near  are  they  ?  How  soon 
do  you  think  they  could  reach  this  spot?" 

Laf e  listened,  and  then  said : 

"They're  mighty  close.  In  a  few  minutes  they  will 
be  heah.  Will  we  fight,  sah?" 

"Not  this  time,  unless  we  are  forced  to.  The  passage 
seems  quite  wide  at  this  point.  Hide  in  close,  and  if  they 
get  by  without  discovering  us,  why,  you  can  rest  assured 
we  will  not  disturb  them.  Come  in  close  and  remain 
silent;  back  your  horse  well  beside  mine.  Here  they 
come.  Have  your  pistols  ready,  and  remember  we  will 
hew  our  way  out  if  we  have  to. ' '  Down  the  path  came 
the  dark,  moving  mass,  hardly  distinguishable  from  the 
black  shadows  of  the  night.  Nearing  the  spot  where 
the  waiting  soldiers  stood  they  slowed  down  to  a  walk. 
Two  in  the  rear  were  carrying  on  an  animated  conversa- 
tion which  could  be  plainly  heard ;  one  said : 

"Are  you  sure  that  it  was  young  Breton  who  came 


44  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

down  the  valley  to-night?  I  haven't  seen  him  since  he 
was  a  boy." 

"Yes,  it  was  he.  I,  too,  haven't  seen  him  for  years; 
but  I  will  never  forget  his  eyes,  and  I  had  a  good 
glimpse  at  him;  besides,  his  hah*  has  that  same  tinge  of 
red  which  made  his  father  so  noticeable.  If  he  gets 
through  and  reaches  Rutgers'  Court  House  to-morrow 
morning  he  may  strike  that  other  regiment  that  came 
through  the  valley.  You  recollect  the  old  yarn  told 
about  Breton's  father,  don't  you?" 

"No,  I  don't  know  the  people  here  as  well  as  you. 
You  were  raised  here,  and  your  knowledge  of  the  coun- 
try has  been  mighty  useful  in  piloting  regiments  over 
the  mountains  since  you  joined  the  Union  cause.  What 
was  the  yarn?" 

"Why,  just  before  his  death  he  said  to  his  physician 
that  he  was —  Just  then  the  trooper's  horse  gave  a 
sharp  whinny  which  prevented  the  listeners  from  hear- 
ing more,  as  they  were  then  nearly  out  of  earshot.  The 
young  officer  sighed,  and  he  repeated  half-aloud : 

"So  the  people  here  know  rumors  regarding  my  father. 
Well,  methinks  I  would  have  liked  to  have  heard  that 
reply;"  and  after  a  few  minutes  he  remarked,  "Come  on, 
we  will  ride  hard  now;  we  must  avoid  the  Rutgers'  Court 
House.  There  is  a  road  around  other  than  that  by  which 
we  came,  is  there  not,  Lafe?" 

"No,  Cap'n  Armand,  not  that  I  know  of." 

"We  should  reach  Rutgers'  Court  House  by  early 
dawn,  and  under  the  friendly  cover  of  partial  darkness 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  45 

possibly  we  can  pass  unnoticed  in  the  uncertain  light. 
We  will  now  make  up  what  time  we  have  lost — that  is,  if 
this  confounded  arm  does  not  bother  me, ' '  said  Armand 
Breton,  after  they  had  rounded  the  mountain  and  entered 
upon  the  county  highway. 

"Won't  we  stop  to  feed  the  horses?" 

"No,  they  have  had  an  easy  time;  we  can  water  them 
down  by  the  creek,  and  then  we  will  have  passed  the  dan- 
ger point  before  stopping  for  rest.  Here,  Lafe,  just  knot 
this  handkerchief  about  this  arm ;  there,  that  is  easier. ' ' 

The  trip  was  continued  without  further  incident ;  they 
passed  the  creek,  stopped  a  few  minutes  to  blow  their 
steeds,  and  then  on,  as  they  climbed  the  hill  which  over- 
looked the  quiet  valley  where  stood  Rutgers'  Court 
House;  the  darkness  of  the  night  had  already  com- 
menced, to  be  supplanted  by  that  gray  which  precedes 
dawn.  The  men  never  halted,  and  at  once  began  their 
descent,  when  they  heard  distinctly  sounds  which  were 
caused  by  the  moving  of  heavy  wheels.  To  their  prac- 
ticed ears  the  sounds  meant  artillery;  they  could  clearly 
distinguish  the  heavy  rumble,  and  they  knew  that  they 
were  preceded  by  a  detachment  of  artillery  sent,  in  all 
probability,  to  join  the  regiment  which  perhaps  was 
already  there.  The  dangers  seemed  to  increase  rather 
than  to  diminish,  and  their  return  seemed  fraught  with 
ever-thickening  complications.  Captain  Breton  slowed 
his  horse  down  to  a  walk,  while  he  began  to  revolve  in 
his  mind  a  plan  to  carry  them  on  beyond  the  furthermost 
point  of  the  gathering  Union  lines.  Lafe  had  looked 


46  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

anxiously  toward  his  master,  expecting  at  any  moment 
that  he  would  disclose  his  plan  of  action. 

"Now  I  have  it,"  said  the  captain. 

"I's  a-listenin'  fo*  yo'  orders." 

"This  darkness  is  fortunate  for  us,  and  now  I  propose 
to  turn  yonder  artillery  to  our  advantage.  They  cannot 
distinguish  what  color  of  uniform  we  wear,  and  the 
noise  made  by  the  wheels  will  prevent  them  hearing  our 
approach.  We  will  overtake  them,  fall  into  line,  and  for 
the  while  we  will  be  Union  artillerymen.  Just  fall  in 
with  the  escort,  which  I  will  wager  is  not  watchful  after 
their  long  trip ;  and  besides  we  may  learn  just  what  they 
anticipate  doing  with  the  forces  they  are  gathering  near 
here.  "We  may  turn  this  night  into  advantage  for  our 
causa ' ' 

"Yes,  but  any  mo'  of  this  light  an'  they'll  catch  us, 
suah." 

"We  must  take  chances,  that  is  all.  There's  bound  to 
be  a  thick  fog  all  through  the  valley,  which  will  be  to 
our  advantage.  Come,  Lafe,  not  another  word,  and  see 
that  your  horse  doesn't  stumble  and  fall  to  alarm  them 
— fall  into  line  on  the  opposite  side  from  me. ' ' 

The  young  officer  had  determined  upon  following  out 
a  daring  scheme,  a  plan  which  seemed  feasible  if  the 
darkness  only  remained.  Then,  again,  he  had  concluded 
that  by  riding  up  under  the  cover  of  the  artillery,  they 
could  pass,  unchallenged,  the  lines  of  the  forces  which 
he  anticipated  were  already  ahead,  having  arrived  by 
another  road.  The  project  was  certainly  worthy  of  the 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  47 

man.  The  heavy  wheels  jolting  over  the  stony  road 
enabled  the  two  riders  to  reach  the  detachment  without 
having  attracted  the  attention  of  the  men  which  com- 
posed it.  They  had  been  through  a  long,  hard  march, 
and  as  the  country  through  which  they  had  come  was 
entirely  free  from  the  enemy  they  had  relaxed  their 
vigilance.  The  rear  guard  were  dozing  on  their  steeds, 
and  the  two  Confederates — favored  by  the  darkness — • 
dropped  into  line  without  causing  more  than  a  nod  from 
the  sleepy  riders  whose  horses  were  jostled  as  the  two 
pushed  toward  the  front  of  the  company.  Captain 
Breton's  motive  in  pressing  to  the  head  of  the  line  was 
to  be  in  a  position,  in  the  event  of  discovery,  to  be  able  to 
make  a  comparatively  unhampered  flight.  By  traveling 
in  that  way  undiscovered  he  would  have  succeeded  in 
reducing  the  obstructions  to  nearly  a  stern  chase.  They 
jogged  along,  the  newcomers  keenly  alert  to  the  danger  to 
which  they  would  soon  be  exposed.  Soon,  and  very  soon 
if  the  regiment  was  ahead,  they  must  encounter  it,  for 
twenty  minutes  more  and  the  courthouse  square  would  be 
reached,  and  in  the  meanwhile  the  darkness  had  grown 
into  a  misty  gray  which  would  shortly  be  replaced  by 
dawn.  Would  they  pass  ?  Ten  minutes  more — just  then 
the  front  line  was  halted  by  the  call  of  a  picket.  There 
was  no  mistaking  the  clear  sharp  call  which  caused  the  half- 
sleeping  artillerymen  to  straighten  up  in  their  saddles. 
There  was  no  delay.  The  reply  to  the  picket  was  quickly 
given  and  the  outposts  had  been  passed,  and  shortly  they 
would  go  into  camp.  The  Confederates  gave  an  involun- 


48  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

tary  sigh  of  relief,  and  Captain  Breton  was  almost  upon 
the  point  of  creating  some  diversion  which  should  attract 
the  attention  of  the  company  and  at  the  same  time  afford 
them  an  opportunity  of  beginning  their  dash  to  regain 
their  own  lines.  They  were  now  upon  the  camp  of  the 
cavalry  regiment;  through  the  mist  figures  could  be 
easily  distinguished.  Not  a  moment  was  to  be  lost :  the 
race  for  life  must  be  commenced  or  else  they  must  surely 
become  prisoners ;  discovery  could  not  be  delayed  much 
longer.  Captain  Breton  then  made  a  discovery  that 
caused  him  sudden  joy;  he  looked  at  one,  then  another 
of  the  men  about;  in  the  indistinct  light  they  looked 
gray ;  they  did  not  wear  the  blue  of  the  Federal  army. 
Was  it  possible  that  they  had  been  traveling  with 
friends?  The  young  officer  was  on  the  point  of  giving 
an  exultant  shout,  which  happily  for  him  he  did  not, 
when  the  situation  dawned  upon  him.  The  night  mist 
of  the  mountains  had  covered  all  their  garments  with  a 
filmy  grayish  coating  which  was  greatly  increased  after 
they  had  encountered  the  heavy  white  fogs  of  the  low- 
lands. To  all  appearances  they  were  clad  in  gray — at 
least  for  the  moment  there  was  no  difference  between 
Federal  and  Confederate  uniforms.  This  coating  would 
only  be  temporary,  hut  the  discovery  imparted  at  once 
a  confidence  to  the  captain.  He  could  hardly  retain  his 
joy  at  his  discovery.  The  next  instant  he  thought  that 
he  could  now  gain  information  regarding  the  future 
movements  of  the  troops  that  they  were  with ;  ten  min- 
utes would  be  sufficient,  then — well,  suppose  it  was  a  run 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  49 

for  life,  it  wa<*  worth  the  risk — at  least  so  thought  the 
young  officer.  How  to  learn  the  news  without  exciting 
suspicion?  In  an  instant  his  move  was  determined. 
After  the  order  had  been  given  to  dismount  he  slipped 
to  the  ground  and  said  in  a  half-drowsy  tone  to  the  man 
nearest  him,  while  the  other  had  drawn  away : 

"I  thought  we  were  fixed  down  the  valley  for  the 
summer.  I  wonder  what  in  thunder  the  old  man  is 
going  to  do  next?  I  don't  like  this  running  over  the 
country,  do  you?" 

The  soldier  addressed  grunted,  struck  a  match,  and 
lit  his  stubby  pipe,  and  after  a  couple  of  whiffs  said:  "I 
don't  know — don't  care — I  foller  orders  if  it  leads  to  hell. ' ' 

This  bluff  was  hard  to  get  over,  and  in  order  to  learn 
anything  he  must  adopt  different  tactics.  He  drew  out 
a  pocket  flask  and  said : 

"Saved  a  little  of  the  old  stuff;  have  a  pull?" 

The  artilleryman  melted ;  he  reached  out  his  hand  and 
caught  the  proffered  bottle,  and  the  gentle  gurgle  down 
his  throat  told  where  the  contents  of  the  captain's  flask 
were  being  poured.  The  gurgle  ceased,  a  long-drawn, 
contented  sigh  came  from  the  soldier  as  he  passed  back 
the  half-emptied  flask. 

"That's  good,  pardner,  an'  say,  I  didn't  want  ter  be 
short  with  yer  about  the  old  man's  doin's,  but  I  do 
happen  to  know  where  we're  goin'.  I  jest  happened  to 
learn,  an'  I'll  tell  you,  but  it  ain't  no  business  of  mine, 
and  I  don't  like  to  repeat  it,  specially  as  yon  are  one  of 
them  new  fellers. ' ' 


50  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

"Well,  it  makes  no  difference,  we'll  all  know  in  time," 
said  the  young  Confederate;  "I  wasn't  specially  anxious 
to  know,  but  it  is  only  natural  that  a  fellow  should  know 
something  of  where  he  is  going."  The  soldier  came 
close  and  said : 

"Oh,  well,  you're  good  enough  ter  give  me  a  swig  of 
yer  stuff,  an'  I'll  tell  yer  if  yer  want  ter  know  so  bad, 
an'  how  I  heard  it." 

He  leaned  over  and  said  a  few  words  in  a  low  tone  to 
the  young  Confederate,  over  whose  face  as  he  listened 
stole  a  satisfied  smile.  Hardly  had  he  finished  his  re- 
cital when  there  was  considerable  commotion  heard  down 
at  the  other  end  of  the  camp.  A  horseman  rode  over  to 
where  the  two  soldiers  stood  talking. 

"Say,  boys,"  he  said,  "a  rider  has  just  come  in  and 
reported  that  two  rebels  had  a  scrimmage  with  some  of 
our  boys  over  the  mountains  toward  Osakala  last  night. 
He  says  they  must  have  come  that  way,  and  as  this  is 
the  only  cut  through  the  mountains,  why,  we  must  look 
out  for  them.  They  couldn't  have  gone  ahead  of  us — hello 
— how  did  you  get  hurt.  We  haint  been  doing  any  fight- 
ing lately, ' '  he  said  as  he  saw  the  fluttering  bandage  on 
the  captain's  arm.  "Why,  man,"  he  said  as  he  came 
nearer,  "what  kind  of  a  uniform  have  you  got  on?  Why, 
it's  gray  —  you  are  —  treach — "  He  could  get  no 
further. 

Captain  Breton  saw  the  discovery  was  made; 
with  a  quick  turn  he  caught  the  man  ere  he  could  com- 
plete his  sentence,  and  hurled  him  from  his  saddle.  The 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  51 

big  trooper  with  whom  he  had  been  chatting  stood  for  a 
moment  open-mouthed  in  wonder,  then  his  leathern 
lungs  pealed  forth  a  cry:  "Rebs  in  camp — "  He  could 
not  finish  giving  the  alarm.  Lafe  had  been  drawing  near, 
and  the  instant  that  he  saw  the  man  hurled  from  his 
saddle  he  was  there  to  support  his  master.  As  the  man 
started  to  give  the  alarm  Lafe  lowered  his  head,  and 
struck  the  soldier  with  it  as  a  battering  ram  just  below 
the  belt  which  he  wore.  The  tall  fellow  doubled  up 
like  a  jackknife,  and  sank  with  a  grasp. 

"To  your  horse,  Lafe,"  said  the  captain  as  he  swung 
into  his  saddle,  and  they  were  off  like  a  flash.  In  an 
instant  the  camp  was  in  an  uproar.  The  soldier  who 
had  been  pitched  from  his  saddle  had  fallen  heavily  and 
had  dislocated  a  shoulder;  the  artillery  man  whose 
stomach  had  encountered  Lafe's  head  was  gasping  for 
breath ;  no  one  could  explain  just  what  was  the  matter 
for  a  few  minutes;  and  in  the  meantime  the  officer  and 
his  companion  had  gotten  fairly  under  way,  and  with 
every  beat  of  their  horses'  hoofs  were  being  carried 
further  from  camp.  Pursuit  was  immediately  ordered, 
and  although  the  fugitives  had  the  advantage  of  a  few 
minutes'  start,  the  number  following  them  gave  a  decided 
advantage  to  the  pursuers.  Again,  the  horses  ridden  by 
the  Confederates  were  far  from  fresh  after  the  long  ride 
of  the  night.  Captain  Breton  knew  well  the  enduring 
qualities  of  the  steeds  ridden  by  himself  and  Lafe,  but 
he  knew  also  that  they  could  not  maintain  the  same 
speed  for  long  that  they  were  at  present  holding. 


5$  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

\ 
He  turned  to  Lafe  and  asked: 

"You  are  familiar  with  the  country  through  here,  are 
you  not,  Lafe?" 

"Like  a  book,  cap'n." 

"Well,  how  about  the  roads,  are  there  many  of  them?" 

"Pretty  near  as  many  roads  as  men  follerin'  us,  I 
reckon;  golly,  I's  jest  thinkin'  how  that  feller  I  hit  mus' 
feel,  and  my  head  ain't  a  bit  sore,  either." 

"Never  mind,  it  will  be  if  that  fellow  gets  a  chance  to 
put  a  piece  of  lead  in  it ;  but  seriously,  Lafe,  what  is  the 
best  road  for  us  to  take?  Soon  it  will  be  troad  daylight, 
and  we  must  try  and  throw  them  off  our  trail. " 

"It'll  be  mighty  hard  to  do  that. " 

"Why?" 

"  'Cause  it  gettin'  lighter  and  they  can  tell  by  our  tracks 
which  way  we  go. ' ' 

"True,  but  you  know  it  feels  like  rain,  and  if  that 
comes,  why,  all  traces  of  our  horses'  tracks  are  quickly 
rendered  difficult  to  trace. " 

"Ter  know  what  I's  thinkin'  cap'n?" 

"No." 

"That  they'll  jest  go  and  split  up." 

"Well,  suppose  they  do,  what  then?" 

"More  apt  to  get  us  treed." 

"Hear  those  hoofs!  They  are  coming_  close  after  us 
now.  Here  is  a  road — shall  we  make  that  turn?" 

"No,  cap'n,  fo'  the  love  of  Gawd  don't  go  down  off 
there,  jes'  keep  on  a  bit;  there  is  a  road  for  us;  it's 
smoother,  and  then  they  may  not  see  it.  They  is  comin' 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  53 

mighty  close ;  will  we  get  a  shot  at  'em  'fore  we  get  off 
inter  the  road?" 

"Why,  there  is  one  fellow  almost  on  us;  the  others  are 
back  some  distance ;  what — he  sees  us  surely,  and  we  are 
in  plain  view  now  that  he  has  rounded  the  corner.  He 
is  trying  to  wing  us,  too, ' '  said  Armand  Breton  as  two 
reports  rang  out  in  the  air,  and  a  bullet  whistled  danger- 
ously near  his  head.  ' '  Laf e,  you  are  a  good  shot.  My  arm 
is  unsteady :  I  wrenched  it  when  I  gave  that  fellow  a  tip 
from  his  saddle.  Just  wheel  and  reply  to  the  salute  that 
he  has  given  us." 

Lafe  cpaickly  wheeled,  in  an  instant  his  revolver 
cracked,  and  one  pursuer  staggered  in  his  saddle  and 
fell  heav>ly  to  the  ground.  The  captain  never  turned. 

"Is  he  still  coming?"  he  asked. 

"No,  he's  jes'  stopped  for  repairs,  waitin'  for  the 
others,"  said  Lafe  laconically;  "and  now,  Cap'n  Armand, 
jes'  over  that  little  hummock  an'  we  turn  to  the  right." 

"All  right,  ride  hard;  hear  those  fellows  yell. "  The 
pursuing  party,  hearing  the  shots,  had  pressed  on  with 
redoubled  efforts ;  but  the  pursued  had  passed  out  of  sight 
and  had  swung  off  on  another  road  when  the  party  had 
rejoined  their  fallen  companion.  Here  they  again  lost  a 
few  moments  of  valuable  time,  and  the  distance  was 
increased  between  the  horsemen. 


54  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

A     THRILLING     BIDE. 

IT  was  after  a  long  dash,  and  the  gray  of  morning  had 
been  supplanted  by  the  broad  light  of  day,  that  the  two 
men  slowed  their  steeds  down  to  a  walk. 

"We've  done  gone  an'  lef  'em  su',5' said  Lafe.  The 
two  then  drew  up  to  a  halt.  The  captain  said : 

"Jump  down,  Lafe,  and  see  if  you  hear  any  sounds." 

Lafe  obeyed. 

"Not  a  soun' ;  de's  gone,  su'." 

"Well,  we  must  draw  off  in  the  forest  as  soon  as  we 
shall  strike  a  stream,  blow  our  horses,  feed  and  water 
them  as  well  as  ourselves,  and  we  will  be  ready  for  any 
other  excitement  that  may  come  our  way." 

Shortly  after,  a  rippling  mountain  stream  gladdened 
the  sight  of  the  weary  travelers ;  they  dismounted  and 
led  their  steeds  through  the  forest  to  a  point  where  they 
were  effectually  screened  from  view  in  case  any  horse- 
men came  by  the  path  which  they  had  just  left.  Lafe 
took  the  horses,  led  them  behind  a  huge  gray  bowlder 
after  watering  them,  then  dove  deeply  into  the  capa- 
cious pockets  of  the  saddlebags,  whence  he  extracted 
some  feed  for  the  animals.  Then  turning  his  attention 
to  their  own  needs  he  asked  his  master  if  he  should  light 
a  fire.  The  captain  replied : 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  55 

"Yes,  Lafe,  I  don't  think  there  is  the  slightest  danger 
where  we  are ;  besides,  I  think  a  good  cup  of  coffee  will 
set  me  all  right  after  the  work  of  the  night." 

Lafe's  eyes  glittered  as  he  replied: 

"Jes'  what  Fs  a  thinkin'." 

In  a  few  moments  Lafe  had  a  fire  merrily  crackling, 
over  which  he  placed  a  small  pot  of  coffee.  The  captain, 
while  he  awaited  the  preparations  of  breakfast,  had 
taken  off  his  coat,  and  washed  his  wounded  arm  in  the 
cool  spring.  He  found  upon  examination  that  his  wound, 
although  painful,  was  not  dangerous.  After  cleansing 
the  cut  and  having  his  handkerchief  carefully  bound 
about  it  he  was  ready  for  the  welcome  meal  which  Lafe 
had  provided.  A  few  slices  of  smoked  beef  and  a  hand- 
ful of  crackers  washed  down  by  the  fragrant  coffee 
renewed  the  strength  of  both  men.  The  captain,  after  a 
long  wait,  looking  at  his  watch  declared  that  it  was 
time  to  be  off  again.  His  companion  quickly  carried 
out  his  orders,  and  soon  they  were  back  in  the  road, 
headed  toward  the  Confederate  lines,  traveling  at  a  good 
round  gallop. 

"I  think  we  have  seen  the  last  of  those  Yankees,'  said 
the  captain. 

"Dunno,  cap'n,  dese mountains  jes' full  'er  roads;  they 
might  come  back  this  way. ' ' 

"What  is  that  you  have  strapped  on  behind  you, 
Lafe?"  said  the  captain,  as,  looking  over  Lafe's  saddle, 
he  saw  a  package  which  attracted  his  attention.  Lafe 
hung  his  head  and  said : 


56  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

"Dat's  fo'  'mergency." 

"For  emergency!  what  do  you  mean?" 

"You  see,  Cap'n  Armand,  when  we's  down  in  that 
camp  at  the  Co't  House  I  saw  two  blue  coats  lying  there, 
and  I  thought  they  might  come  in  handy,  and  so  I  jes' 
rolled  'em  up  while  that  feller  thought  I's  tendin'  the 
horses,  and  the's  right  here  now." 

The  captain  laughed  heartily  over  the  theft,  and  said : 

"You  are  going  to  get  even  for  what  the  other  people 
are  doing  down  here?" 

It  was  past  midday  when  the  captain  said,  "Well,  we 
will  soon  be  within  our  lines,  and  from  what  I  learned 
this  morning  we  will  have  a  mighty  lively  time  to  keep 
the  valley  clear.  "What  is  that?"  he  said  suddenly,  as 
the  sound  of  approaching  horsemen  reached  his  ears. 

"Sounds  po'ful  like  cavalry,  cap'n. " 

"Yes,  and  coming  from  our  lines  too.  Can  it  be  some 
of  those  Yankees  shying  around?" 

"Dunno,  but  I's  thinkin'." 

"Thinking  what?" 

"That  it'd  be  a  mighty  good  plan  to  pull  on  these 
blue  overcoats  if  you're  goin'  to  keep  straight  on." 

"Excellent  idea,  Lafe.  Yes,  we  will  keep  straight  on, 
and  if  tney  are  not  friends,  why,  the  coats  will  prove 
useful." 

Lafe  passed  quickly  to  the  captain  one  of  the  coats 
which  he  had  taken  from  the  Union  camp,  and  in  a 
twinkling  the  two  men  were  transformed  by  the  long 
closely  buttoned  blue  coats  into  Union  soldiers.  They 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  57 

were  not  an  instant  too  soon,  as  around  a  sharp  turn  in 
the  road  dashed  a  small  body  of  mounted  men ;  through 
the  cloud  of  dust  it  was  hard  for  the  moment  to  distin- 
guish to  which  army  they  belonged.  Soon,  however,  the 
keen  eyes  of  Breton  saw  that  they  wore  the  blue  uniforms 
of  the  Federal  Army.  Smothering  a  half-suppressed 
curse,  he  rode  straight  up  and  said  in  a  tone  expressive 
of  disappointment : 

"You  didn't  get  them,  did  you?" 

"Didn't  get  what?"  growled  back  the  man  in  charge. 

Captain  Breton  believed  that  the  men  in  their  front 
were  a  part  of  the  pursuing  party,  and  he  had  deter- 
mined upon  a  bold  plan  to  throw  them  off.  Both  he 
and  Lafe  wore  the  same  uniform  and  his  plan  was  to 
assume  for  the  moment  that  they  belonged  to  the  same 
regiment,  trusting  to  something  else  to  occur  to  give 
them  an  opportunity  to  get  beyond  the  party  that  im- 
peded their  progress.  After  the  reply  he  knew  that 
they  were  ignorant  of  the  affair  at  Rutgers'  Court  House, 
and  his  words  came  quick. 

"Oh,  I  thought  you  were  of  the  regiment  that  reached 
Rutgers'  last  night.  We  had  a  little  fun  down  there  this 
morning  with  some  Johnnies  and  we  were  out  after 
them.  Our  party  got  all  broken  up  by  separating  on 
the  different  roads,  and  we  expected  to  meet  some  of  our 
boys  returning.  Have  you  seen  any  of  them  down  tiie 
road?" 

"Nary  a  man,  and  you  won't  find  any  of  them  beyond 
neither." 


58  THE  SWORD   OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

"Well,  we  will  go  a  piece  ahead  and  see  what  we  will 
find." 

"But  there  is  no  use " 

"There  is  a  road  that  turns  off,  and  we  will  turn " 

"What  regiment  do  you  belong  to?"  suddenly  asked 
the  sergeant  in  charge. 

"Why,  the  Seventh  New  Yo " 

"The  Seventh  New  York !  Why,  good  heavens,  man, 
that  is  down  the  valley;  that  is  Colonel  Phillips' regi- 
ment. How  could  you  have  been  over  to  Rutgers?" 

Just  then  Lafe  had  drawn  close  to  the  captain  and 
whispered  in  his  ear : 

"Fo'  de  love  of  Heaven,  we  mus'  be  off;  dem  other 
soldiers  right  behind." 

Armand  Breton  never  exhibited  the  slightest  excite- 
ment as  he  replied  to  the  sergeant. 

"Can't  help  it,  my  boy,  where  the  Seventh  was;  I  know 
where  it  is  now.  Come  on,  Lafe,  we  will  turn  on  the  next 
road,"  and  with  this  they  were  off  before  the  surprised 
officer  could  recover  his  astonishment. 

"You  know  what  I  think,  sergeant?"  said  an  old 
grizzled  trooper  as  he  edged  alongside  of  the  puzzled- 
looking  man. 

"No,  out  with  it." 

"Why  those  fellows  have  played  a  trick  on  you;  I'll 
bet  they  are  rebels " 

"And,"  broke  in  another,  "I  am  sure  that  I  saw  gray 
trousers  on  them. ' ' 

"Why  in  thunder — well,  here's  some  more.     What  are 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  59 

you  looking  for?"  asked  the  sergeant  as  a  party  of  men 
reined  up  in  front  of  them. 

"Two  of  the  slickest  rebels  in  the  South  played  a  trick 
on  us  last  night;  this  morning  another " 

"Yes,  and  now  it's  my  turn,  for  I'll  wager  that  yonder 
goes  the  men  you're  looking  after,"  pointing  toward  the 
fleeing  Confederates. 

"Forward,  men,  and  we  will  have  them  now,"  thun- 
dered the  officer  in  command. 

The  Confederates  had  a  short  start.  Captain  Breton 
took  a  quick  glance  over  his  shoulder. 

"They  are  after  us,"  and  he  smiled  grimly  as  he  mut- 
tered, "this  time  it  is  a  race  for  life." 

"The's  a  heap  of  'em,"  added  Lafe. 

The  pursuing  party  numbered  at  least  twenty,  and  it 
was  obvious  that  unless  the  Confederates  left  the  road 
they  would  inevitably  be  captured.  The  captain  thought 
that  a  dash  through  the  forest  might  save  them,  and  com- 
municated his  ideas  to  Lafe. 

"But,  cap'n,  we  can't  leave;  the's  no  road." 

"Then  it  depends  upon  our  horses." 

"Yes,  an'  those  fellers  are  fixed  jes'  same's  we." 

At  times  their  pursuers  were  so  close  that  they  could 
hear  the  breathing  of  their  horses. 

"Halt — halt!"  and  this  followed  by  fierce  imprecations 
from  those  behind. 

Captain  Breton  drove  his  spurs  deeply  into  the  flanks 
of  his  steed,  and  enraged  by  the  cruel  steel,  his  horse 


60  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

dashed  on  and  on;  the  distance  between  the  men 
widened. 

"Ten  minutes  more,  Lafe,  and  we  will  be  out  of 
danger." 

"My  po'  horse  mos'  gone,  su'." 

Just  then  a  volley  whistled  over  their  heads. 

"They  mus'  shoot  better 'n that  to  down  us,"  muttered 
Lafe. 

Captain  Breton  glanced  anxiously  ahead.  He  was 
sure  that  in  the  distance  he  saw  cavalry.  In  another 
minute  he  was  positive.  "Ahead  of  us  and  behind. "  He 
thought  this  time  that  escape  was  impossible. 

"Like  rats  in  a  trap  this  time,"  he  said  aloud.  He 
strained  his  eyes.  The  party  ahead  were  dashing  down 
upon  them  rapidly.  They  were  signaling.  The  captain 
gave  a  shout  of  joy. 

"Lafe,"  he  said,  "if  they  don't  drop  us  out  of  our 
saddles  in  five  minutes  we  will  be  with  our  own  men. ' ' 

Two  minutes  more — and  the  pursuers  in  their  mad 
haste  had  not  noticed  the  cavalry  coming  in  the  opposite 
direction.  Another  volley  at  close  range,  but  owing  to 
the  terrific  pace  at  which  they  were  going,  the  bullets 
sped  wide  of  their  mark.  Another  shot,  and  Lafe  gave 
a  yell  of  pain,  and  two  bullets  passed  through  the  cap- 
tain's hat.  The  pursuers  then  gave  a  yell;  they  saw  the 
coming  cavalry,  and  turned  to  flee,  but  the  men  in  gray 
passed  the  captain  and  Lafe  and  thundered  down  upon 
them  with  drawn  sabers.  There  was  a  short  but  deter- 
mined struggle,  quick  yells,  the  sharp  ring  of  carbines 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  61 

and  the  clash  of  sabers,  and  it  was  over.  The  vanquished 
pursuers  were  prisoners  of  war. 

"Lieutenant  Percy,  you  were  in  the  right  time  for 
us, ' '  said  Captain  Breton  as  he  greeted  the  young  Con- 
federate officer. 

"Yes,  captain,  you  know  we  came  down  this  way  on  a 
little  reconnoitering  trip,  and  as  I  knew  that  you  would 
possibly  return  this  way  we  prolonged  the  journey,  a 
fact  of  which  I  am  heartily  glad. " 

Lafe  then  gave  a  hearty  chuckle.  "By  golly,  cap'n, 
here's  that  feller  that  I  jes'  tapped  with  my  head. " 

Sure  enough,  the  trooper,  smarting  for  revenge,  had 
followed  as  soon  as  he  regained  his  equilibrium. 

"Yes,"  he  snarled  with  an  oath,  "and  you  wouldn't 
be  where  you  are  now  if  my  aim  had  been  a  little  better 
two  minutes  ago." 

In  ten  minutes  the  company  of  cavalry  was  moving 
back  with  the  mounted  prisoners,  while  the  officers  were 
laughing  together  over  Captain  Breton's  narrative  of  the 
adventures  of  the  evening. 


63  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 


CHAPTER  V. 

A   FATEFUL   MEETING. 

BACK  to  the  Confederate  camp  rode  the  party,  and 
from  the  merry  song  which  went  ringing  out, 

"If  you  want  a  good  time, 
Then  join  the  cavalry," 

it  could  be  readily  understood  that  they  were  in  capital 
spirits. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  camp  Armand  Breton 
quickly  made  his  way  to  the  department  headquarters. 
He  was  at  once  admitted  to  the  tent  where,  around  a 
long  table,  sat  three  men,  who,  judging  from  the  serious 
looks  upon  their  faces,  were  engaged  in  the  discussion  of 
some  knotty  problem  of  the  war.  They  all  arose  and 
greeted  the  young  officer  warmly,  who  asked : 

"Ami  intruding  upon  a  secret  conference,  general? 
If  so  I  will  withdraw  and  await  your  pleasure. " 

The  man  whom  he  addressed  as  general  removed  a 
half-consumed  cigar  from  between  his  white  teeth,  which 
glistened  through  a  jet-black  mustache,  and  said  in  crisp 
tones : 

"No,  Captain  Breton,  I  had  already  givea  instructions 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  63 

to  have  you  admitted  without  delay ;  you  may  be  able  to 
assist  me  somewhat;  you  are  acquainted  with  the 
topography  of  the  country  about  here,  are  you  not?" 

"I  have  only  a  slight  knowledge " 

"But  I  understood  that  you  were  from  near  here " 

"It  is  true,  but  my  boyhood  was  all  passed  in  New 
Orleans,  beyond  which  I  have  been  almost  a  citizen  of 
Paris,  General  Beauregard." 

It  was  none  other  to  whom  he  spoke  than  the  redoubta- 
ble Pierre  Beauregard,  the  man  who  opened  the  rebel- 
lion by  firing  upon  the  flag  which  floated  proudly  over 
Sumter's  walls,  that  flag  which  he  had  sworn  to  uphold. 
General  Beauregard  came  from  an  old  Louisiana  Creole 
family.  His  French  ancestry  was  directly  traceable  in 
his  swarthy  complexion,  his  brilliant,  flashing  eyes,  and 
his  quick,  nervous  movements.  After  Armand  Breton 
had  finished  he  asked  him  in  French : 

"Was  your  father  a  Frenchman — yes,  he  must  have 
been  from  your  name — and  have  you  been  educated  as  a 
military  man?" 

"Yes,  in  a  limited  way,  general." 

"Then  you  are  familiar  with  the  science  of  fortifica- 
tions as  well  as  handling  troops?" 

"Slightly,  sir." 

"Good!  men  like  you  will  win  rank  in  the  Confederacy. 
Now,  Breton,  I  have  in  mind  a  little  expedition  which  I 
hope  will  sweep  the  valley  clear  of  the  Yankees.  I  want, 
further,  a  man  who  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with  all 
the  smaller  mountain  roads  which  are  not  indicated 


64  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

here,"  sweeping  his  hand  across  a  map  while  speak- 
ing. 

"I  have  the  man — my  servant — who  was  raised  in  these 
parts.  He  is  brave  as  a  lion,  true  as  steel." 

"The  very  man — but  a  nigger,  did  you  say " 

"Well,  yes;  at  least  there  is  some  colored  blood  in  his 
veins,  but  he  is  nearly  white. ' ' 

"And  your  slave. " 

"Yes,  general,  and  I  came  here  now  for  this.  I  have 
some  important  news  to  communicate  to  you,  which  I 
gained  while  away  on  my  short  furlough  to  my  old  home. " 

General  Beauregard's  black  eyes  snapped  in  an  an- 
ticipatory way  as  he  requested  the  captain  to  speak  out 
what  he  had  learned,  and  in  English,  in  order  that  the 
two  other  officers  present  might  better  understand. 
Long  after  Armand  Breton  had  stated  the  incidents  of 
his  night's  ride,  and  the  plans  that  he  had  gained  of  the 
enemy's  intended  operations,  the  officers  sat  tracing  out 
the  lay  of  the  land  from  the  maps  before  them.  General 
Beauregard  then  rose,  and  taking  a  few  quick  strides 
halted  again  at  the  table  and  said : 

"From  all  the  information  at  our  hands,  I  should  say 
that  the  Yankees  are  now  eighty-five  hundred  strong  at 
Rutgers'.  They  will  wait  there  two  days  until  reinforce- 
ments reach  them,  then  they  will  strike — that  is,  if  we 
permit  them,  which, ' '  he  added  with  a  significant  smile, 
"I  hardly  think  we  will.  Owing  to  heavy  draughts 
made  upon  us,  our  available  force  at  this  point  is  small 
indeed  when  compared  with  that  of  the  Yankees,  and  iia 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  65 

two  days  they  will  outnumber  us  three  to  one.  I  can 
spare  from  this  point  only  a  small  number  of  men.  We 
must  act,  and  act  at  once.  I  have  promised  the  Presi- 
dent to  sweep  the  enemy  out  of  this  valley,  and  unless  I 
move  quickly  I  may  not  be  able  to  keep  my  prom- 
ise." 

After  musing  a  moment,  he  ocntinued:  "Breton,  you 
told  me  that  one  of  the  regiments  which  was  coming  up 
was  Colonel  Phillips. '  " 

"Yes,  general." 

"I  wonder  if  that  is  the  same  Phillips  whom  I  knew 
in  the  Mexican  war.  If  so  he  is  a  soldier  of  great  worth. ' ' 

"He  was  in  the  Mexican  war." 

"You  know  that — are  you  acquainted  with  him?" 

"I  knew  his  son  well  in  Paris.  We  were  close  to  each 
other  there  and  came  back  together.  I  remained  a  day 
or  two  in  New  York  as  his  guest  before  leaving  for  the 
South;  his  father  is  a  most  estimable  man." 

"Yes,  true,  we  fought  together  once,  now  against 
each  other ;  how  singular  the  irony  of  fate !  I  recollect, 
now,  that  he  had  two  children.  I  saw  them  years  ago. 
Is  his  daughter  living?  If  so,  I'll  warrant  she  has 
developed  into  a  pretty  miss  if  she  takes  after  her 
mother. ' ' 

"Yes,  she  is  a  most  charming  young  lady — bright, 
vivacious,  and  piquant.  I  think  that  she  wins  the  hearts 
of  all  those  with  whom  she  comes  in  contact." 

"You  do,  eh?"  and  General  Beauregard  glanced  up  at 
the  young  officer  in  a  way  which  made  a  flush  of  red 


66  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

creep  athwart  his  bronzed  cheeks.  The  next  instant  the 
subject  was  changed,  much  to  the  delight  of  Breton, 
who  had  an  opportunity  to  hide  his  confusion.  Turn- 
ing to  one  of  the  officers  present,  the  general  said: 
"Colonel  Esten,  this  is  my  plan:  I  will  attack  the  en- 
campment of  the  enemy  the  day  following  to-morrow  at 
early  dawn.  We  will  converge  our  troops  upon  them  from 
three  directions ;  our  artillery,  such  as  we  have  to  spare, 
must,  with  two  mortars,  take  position  on  the  overlook- 
ing mountain  spurs  in  order  to  immediately  open  fire  in 
the  early  morning,  at  an  hour  I  will  decide  upon  later. 
The  fire  will  draw  them  off,  and  then  the  concerted 
attack  will  be  made.  Colonel,  I  shall  assign  you  to  the 
most  difficult  position;  with  your  command  will  be 
Breton ;  his  servant  will  render  you  valuable  assistance 
in  making  the  mountain  passes  to  the  point  at  which  I 
shall  designate  that  you  must  be  at  three  o'clock  the 
morning  following  to-morrow.  You  have  a  roundabout 
trip  to  make  and  must  at  once  put  yourself  in  readiness 
to  begin  to  move  your  men,  who  should  be  fresh  for  the 
conflict  when  the  signal  gun  is  fired. 

"I  shall  proceed  at  once,  with  your  permission,  to 
accomplish  a  part  of  the  distance  to-night,  halting  in  the 
mountain  defiles  to-morrow." 

"Very  well,  you  may  remain  with  me  a  few  moments 
after  the  others  have  retired  and  I  will  talk  further  with 
you."  Turning  to  Breton  he  asked:  "You  have  your 
servant  here  now?" 

"Yes,  general." 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  67 

"And  you  need  nothing — not  even  rest  after  your 
adventure  and  fatigue  of  the  night?" 

"Nothing,  general,  save  fresh  horses." 

"Spoken  like  a  soldier,"  and  as  the  general  arose  he 
warmly  pressed  the  hands  of  the  two  men,  who  passed  out 
into  the  night.  Lighting  a  fresh  cigar,  he  turned  to 
Colonel  Esten,  who  remained,  and  said:  "Your  wound 
will  not  cause  you  inconvenience  on  this  trip,  will  it?  If 
so  I  will  appoint  some  one  in  your  place. ' ' 

Colonel  Esten  replied  almost  warmly : 

"General  Beauregard,  I  am  highly  honored  by  your 
selection  of  me  to  assume  an  important  mission,  and  beg 
to  assure  you  that  the  slight  reminder  that  I  have  of 
Yankee  lead  at  Manassas  will  not  deter  me  from  per- 
forming my  duty  to  the  South  in  the  part  that  you  have 
allotted  me,  and  that,  I  trust,  to  your  satisfaction.  I 
left  Maryland  when  it  no  longer  afforded  a  field  on  which 
I  could  maintain  the  rights  bequeathed  me  by  a  revolu- 
tionary ancestor.  1  am  at  your  command  to  continue 
the  battle  for  State  rights  to  the  end,  and  do  not  think 
that  my  recent  hospital  experience  will  materially  weaken 
the  enthusiasm  which  burns  in  my  heart  for  the  cause  of 
the  South." 

"After  such  a  declaration  there  is  but  one  course  for 
me  to  pursue,  viz.,  to  hold  to  my  original  programme, 
and  to  bid  you  Godspeed  on  your  journey."  After  a 
few  brief  instructions  the  men  separated.  Pierre 
Beauregard  sat  alone  a  few  minutes  in  silence,  then  half- 
aloud  repeated  to  himself:  "Thus  far  the  conflict 


68  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

between  the  Confederates  and  Yankees  has  clearly  dem- 
onstrated the  fact  that  the  individuality,  self-reliance,  and 
habitual  use  of  arms  by  the  Southern  people  have  been  to 
some  extent  substitutes  for  military  training,  and  the 
want  of  that  training  evident  in  the  Northern  army 
gives  us  an  advantage.  Now,  to  keep  my  promise  to 
Davis ;  and  so  I  may  meet  my  old  friend  of  the  Mexican 
war,  Colonel  Phillips.  That  young  Breton  has  the  mak- 
ing of  a  soldier;  I  shall  recommend  him  for  promotion 
if  he  acquits  himself  creditably  in  this  campaign — and 
lives.  How  furiously  he  blushed  when  referring  to  that 
Phillips  girl!  Let  me  think,  what  was  her  name — a 
pretty  one — Lucy — no,  Lucille,  that  is  it.  Well,  Breton 
will  find  a  strong  opponent  in  the  mother  if  she  hasn't 
toned  down  a  bit,  now  that  his  sword  is  raised  against 
the  cause  supported  by  her  husband;  and  now  I  will 
look  over  camp,  and  then  to  rest. ' '  With  this  he  flung  a 
long  cape  over,  his  shoulders  and  passed  out,  while  his 
active  mind  was  busy  revolving  plans  for  an  early  aggress- 
ive movement. 

During  the  night  an  unusually  heavy  fall  of  rain  had 
rendered  the  mountain  roads  heavy  and  almost  impass- 
able, but  with  unfaltering  purpose  and  energy  the  troops 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Esten  had  pressed  for- 
ward on  their  long  detour.  Lafe's  familiarity  with  the 
paths  proved  of  almost  inestimable  benefit,  as  had  it  not 
been  for  his  intimate  knowledge  of  the  labyrinth  of  roads 
in  all  probability  the  command  would  have  strayed  from 
their  course  in  the  blackness  of  the  night.  In  the  early 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  69 

dawn  Lafe  joyfully  announced  that  they  were  near  the 
best  possible  hiding-place — where  the  prying  eyes  of 
reconnoitering  scouts,  if  about,  could  not  discover  them. 
They  went  into  camp,  as  it  was  the  positive  order  of  the 
commanding  general  that  they  should  proceed  with  the 
greatest  secrecy  in  order  that  the  enemy  might  not  sus- 
pect that  a  move  was  to  be  made  on  them.  The  great- 
est care  was  exercised,  by  which  discovery  was  averted. 
The  following  night,  and  at  nearly  two  o'clock,  Lafe 
announced  that  they  were  within  about  a  mile  of  the 
place  where  the  general  had  directed  them  to  be  at  three 
o'clock.  Colonel  Esten  said  shortly  after  the  news  had 
been  announced  to  him : 

"Breton,  you  know  I  had  a  strange  dream  the  night 
before  I  came  on  this  campaign  of  Beauregard's,  and  I 
wish  to  say  just  a  word  to  you  before  we  go  into  action. " 

"Perhaps  there  will  be  no  better  time  than  the  pres- 
ent," replied  Breton. 

"No;  and  do  you  know  it  makes  me  sad  to  dwell  upon 
it." 

"Then  why  do  so?" 

"Well,  I  must,"  and  the  officer  heaved  a  sigh.  "The 
night  before  we  started  I  had  such  a  weird  dream;  and  I 
have  been  unable  to  free  myself  from  its  depressing 
influences.  I  had  retired  early,  and  was  soon  in  sound 
slumber;  shortly  after,  it  seemed,  a  pleasant  series  of 
pictures  passed  before  me.  There  were  visions  of 
childhood — boyish  groups  playing  in  flower-decked  fields. 
The  scenes  were  reproduced  from  my  old  Maryland  home. 


70  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

One  was  particularly  sweet;  my  little, girlish  sweetheart — 
the  girl  who  is  to  marry  me  when  this  war  is  over — and 
I  were  seated  together  on  the  big  vine-embowered  veranda 
which  runs  around  her  old  home.  In  her  lap  were  fresh- 
picked,  fragrant  flowers  which  we  together  had  plucked 
from  the  meadow.  The  birds  sang  sweetly  in  the  trees 
and  we  were  happy  in  our  childish  love,  while  the  warm 
sunlight  glinted  through  the  vines  on  the  veranda. 
Suddenly  the  whole  scene  changed,  grew  black  as  night. 
I  could  not  see  my  little  sweetheart — she  had  fled.  The 
next  instant  I  was  looking — or  seemed  to  be  gazing 
down  into  a  beautiful  valley.  Here  and  there  were  scat- 
tered dead  horses  and  men — it  was  a  battlefield;  my 
attention  seemed  drawn  toward  one  man  clad  in  gray; 
his  face  was  turned  from  me,  still  there  was  an  irresisti- 
ble fascination  about  that  form ;  it  seemed  familiar.  A 
body  of  men  came  next  and  gathered  together  the  corpses 
of  the  dead.  They  reached  the  body  reclining  so  still, 
and  turning  it — the  sunlight  fell  across  the  face — and 
merciful  heavens,  Breton,  it  was  I — and  I  was  gazing  into 
my  own  dead  face.  Do  you  wonder  that  I  awoke  with  a 
start,  while  my  body  was  bathed  in  cold  perspiration?  I 
had  looked  upon  the  face  of  my  dead  self.  Was  it  pre- 
sentiment? Call  it  what  you  will,  Breton,  but  it  has  worn 
upon  me.  I  have  no  fear,  I  am  a  soldier,  but  as  sure  as 
there  is  a  God  above,  it  was  a  warning,  a  notice ;  to- 
morrow's sun  will  cast  its  beams  upon  my  lifeless  form 
in  yonder  valley.  Do  you  wonder  now  that  I  am 
depressed?" 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  71 

Breton's  arm  was  extended,  and  together  the  two  men 
clasped  hands  in  the  darkness,  and  for  a  moment  neither 
spoke;  then  the  voice  of  Esten,  heavy  with  feeling, 
continued : 

"Ah,  that  girl — it  will  break  her  heart  when  she  learns 
of  my  death.  She  was  at  a  Northern  seminary  when  the 
•war  broke  out,  but  now,  angel  that  she  is,  is  ministering 
to  the  wants  of  Southern  soldiers  in  the  hospitals  at  Rich- 
mond. I  have  this  request  to  make,  Breton.  We  are 
almost  strangers,  but  I  feel  that  you  are  near  to  me  in 
heart;  there  is  that  strange  telegraphy  of  mind  to  mind 
that  tells  me  that  you  are  my  friend.  I  shall  never  refer 
to  this  again,  therefore  I  now  ask  that  as  soon  as  the 
war  is  over  you  will  hasten  to  her,  talk  with  her,  com- 
fort her;  you  will  do  this  for  me,  my  friend?" 

Armand  Breton's  eyes  were  moist,  and  with  a  voice 
trembling  with  emotion  he  replied:  "Colonel  Esten,  if 
it  be  my  sorrowful  destiny  to  carry  out  your  request 
made  to  me  now,  it  shall  be  done,  upon  the  honor  of  a 
soldier." 

"Enough,"  said  Esten;  "I  have  no  letter,  nothing, 
only  what  I  have  requested.  I  have  not  passed  my 
gloomy  moments  since  this  warning  came  to  me  in  writ- 
ing pages  of  sickly  sentimentalism.  I  love  her — like  a 
soldier  and  like  a  man — I  shall  die.  I  will  tell  you  her 
name ;  the  address  is  in  my  effects.  Her  name  I  love  to 
repeat,"  and  leaning  forward  he  whispered  softly,  "Nita 
Calvert." 

He  then  turned  and  rode  away.     The  march  was  con- 


72  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

tinned  until  Lafe  imparted  the  news  that  he  had  identi- 
fied certain  landmarks,  and  they  were  already  on  the 
ground  they  had  been  directed  to  occupy.  They  were 
some  time  in  advance  of  the  specified  hour,  therefore  the 
halt  gave  time  for  recuperation  and  the  adjustment  ot 
arms.  Pacing  up  and  down,  Colonel  Esten  glanced  once 
and  again  anxiously  at  his  watch.  He  conferred  with 
his  officers  and  announced  to  them  that  the  time  had 
arrived  when  the  artillery  should  sound  the  signal. 
Minutes  passed,  yet  the  silence  was  unbroken.  Of 
course  the  officers  argued  that  the  passage  of  the  guns 
was  delayed  by  the  heavy  mountain  roads.  It  had 
begun  to  grow  light  on  the  mountains.  Looking  anx- 
iously in  the  direction  where  the  artillery  should  be,  the 
men  on  the  alert  could  discover  nothing.  Suddenly  the 
colonel  grasped  tightly  the  arm  of  Breton  and  said  in 
low  tones:  "The  signal — see?"  In  the  gray  dawn  a  faint 
spark  of  light  showed  in  the  direction  they  had  been 
gazing.  It  grew  brighter,  and,  leaving  a  trail  of  sparks 
behind,  a  shell  described  a  beautiful  arc  and  descended 
into  the  valley.  It  was  followed  by  another,  and  then 
by  others,  until  shot  and  shell  directed  by  expert 
marksmen  were  dropping  down  with  rapidity  into  the 
valley  below. 

"Beauregard  has  good  gunners,"  said  Breton,  who 
could  judge  from  the  location  of  the  camp  that  the  mis- 
siles were  fairly  effective. 

Esten  never  replied,  but  said : 

"Ten  minutes  of  that  will  throw  the  camp  into  inde- 


THE  SWORD   OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  73 

scribable  confusion;  then  the  batteries  will  cease;  we 
move  forward  and  our  three  lines  converge." 

Watching  the  sight  before  them  the  men  waited. 

" Attention!"  commanded  the  colonel.  The  lines  of 
gray  closed  in  an  orderly  compact  mass. 

"Forward — draw  sabers — guide  right!"  They  were 
off,  and  every  man  gripped  his  saber  a  little  more  tightly 
as  he  realized  that  he  was  moving  down  into  the  mael- 
strom of  death  in  the  meadows  below.  Still  there  was 
no  lagging  behind ;  on  the  contrary  a  strange  feeling  of 
exultation  crept  into  every  trooper's  breast  as  he  plunged 
on  down  toward  the  valley. 

They  passed  pickets,  outposts;  then  the  guns  on  the 
heights  ceased  to  play.  In  the  valley  there  was  wild 
confusion.  Company  after  company  wheeled  into  line. 
The  officers  were  confused ;  they  could  scarcely  tell  where 
the  enemy  was  located;  they  had  not  anticipated  an 
attack,  but  they  fought  with  all  the  valor  of  American 
soldiers. 

Eaten 's  troopers  passed  the  outer  lines  with  only  a  few 
empty  saddles,  and  then  line  after  line  of  shadowy  forms 
in  blue  confronted  them. 

From  Esten's  lips  like  a  trumpet  blast  came  the  words : 

"Gallop— charge!" 

There  was  then  no  faltering,  as,  impelled  by  the  in- 
spiring words  of  their  leader,  they  pressed  hard  behind — 
on  straight  through  the  lines  which  opposed  them  rode 
the  valiant  Southerners.  But  they  were  confronted  by 
another,  a  stronger  phalanx  of  men.  With  terrible 


74  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

momentum  they  drove  into  it  as  a  huge  iron  wedge  is 
driven  by  giant  strength  into  soft  wood.  They  recoiled ; 
it  was  there  that  Greek  met  Greek.  The  camp  was  scat- 
tered but  neither  of  the  two  other  columns  which  were 
to  converge  there  was  yet  in  the  line  of  support  for 
Esten.  It  was  no  time  to  ask  why  they  were  not  there. 
History  oftentimes  has  been  changed  by  the  non-arrival 
of  a  few  men.  It  was  fight — and  many  a  blood-bespat- 
tered horse  and  rider  told  how  the  thirst  for  human 
blood  was  quenched.  Shouts  from  the  mountain  side 
indicated  the  coming  of  fresh  troops.  But  as  at  Bull 
Run,  one  side  was  to  be  disappointed  in  reinforcements. 
The  shouts  of  the  Federals  proved  that  they  were  satis- 
fied that  the  oncoming  men  were  theirs.  This  uncer- 
tainty soon  became  certainty,  and  at  the  critical  moment 
the  delayed  columns  of  the  Confederates  reached  the 
place  where  the  men  of  Esten  were  continuing  an  un- 
equal contest.  Their  delay  was  occasioned  by  losing 
their  way  in  the  mountain  passes.  Then  the  tide  of 
battle  surged  back  and  forth.  In  the  fight  Breton  be- 
came separated  from  his  leader.  A  strange  thirst  for 
blood  overpowered  him,  and  fighting  like  a  demon  he 
reveled  in  the  destruction  of  human  life.  His  blade  was 
wielded  with  telling  effect.  One  tall  Union  soldier 
opposed  him;  he  was  also  mounted.  Biding  forward 
Breton  met  him  in  a  fierce  hand-to-hand  encounter.  For  . 
awhile  it  was  with  them  parry  and  thrust.  For  one 
instant  the  Union  soldier  left  his  right  uncovered.  The 
Confederate  was  quick  to  see  his  opportunity  and  gave  a 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  75 

fierce  lunge  with  his  sword ;  the  man  fell  heavily  from 
his  saddle.  Through  the  dim  light  he  saw  upturned 
plainly  the  features  of  his  old  friend — Lloyd  Phillips. 
The  horrible  thought  came  over  him  that  he  had  killed 
his  chum  and  Lucille 's  brother.  Just  then,  drenched  in 
blood  from  a  saber  cut  in  his  head,  and  a  pistol  shot  in 
his  shoulder,  his  head  swam,  his  eyes  closed;  he  sank 
from  his  saddle,  only  saved  in  the  fall  by  the  arms  of  the 
ever-ready  Lafe.  When  Armand  Breton  regained  con- 
sciousness he  was  stretched  upon  a  couch  beside  which 
sat  Lafe,  bathing  his  master's  brow  with  cooling  lotions. 
The  young  officer  tried  to  sit  up,  but  fell  back  again  upon 
his  couch.  "And,  Lafe,"  he  gasped  faintly,  "are  we  the 
victors?" 

"Suah's  preachin',  we'sthe  winners  of  the  fight,  Cap'n 
Armand." 

"Then  Beauregard  has  cleaned  the  valley?" 

"Don't  know  'bout  the  valley,  but  he's  knocked  the 
stuffin'  out  er  these  fellers  heah,  su'. " 

"Was  Colonel  Esten  injured,  Lafe?" 

"Don't  know  'bout  that,  Cap'n  Armand;  I's  been 
watchin'  you  mos'  of  de  time." 

"Leave  me  and  ascertain  how  the  colonel  has  fared. " 

The  slave  quickly  complied,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he 
returned,  wearing  a  mournful  look  upon  his  face. 

"De  cunnell  he  has  fared  mighty  hard,  su',"  he  said, 
as  his  master  looked  at  him  inquiringly. 

"Is  he  dead  or  only  wounded?" 

"He  am  as  dead  as  can  be." 


76  THE  SWORD   OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

Breton  murmured:  "Ah,  poor  Esten,  his  dream  proved 
true."  Then  his  mind  reverted  to  his  own  last  plunge 
before  the  blackness  of  insensibility  had  closed  over  him ; 
he  thought,  could  it  be  possible  that  he  had  killed  his 
dear  friend?  "Lafe,"  he  said,  "do  you  know  where  I 
fell?" 

"I  specs  I  can  find  it;  I  was  there." 

"You  were  there.  Did  you  see  me  kill  a  man  before  I 
tumbled  from  my  saddle?" 

"I  saw  a  man  come  po'ful  near  killin'  you,  'n  would've 
if  you  hadn't  bin  mighty  quick,  cap'n. " 

"Have  the  bodies  been  gathered  up?" 

"No;  mos'  ob  dem  is  where  de  fell,"  said  Lafe. 

"Then  I  must  look  upon  his  face;  perhaps  it  was  a  hor- 
rible dream.  I  must  see  for  myself  or  this  will  haunt  me 
all  my  life  long ;  and  now,  Lafe,  you  must  get  an  attend- 
ant, place  me  on  a  stretcher,  and  take  me  where  I  fell. 
I  must  go,  do  you  hear?" 

"I'sa-listeninV' 

"Well,  act  at  once." 

Soon  the  captain  was  lifted  and  taken  on  a  stretcher 
to  the  point  where  he  had  fallen  from  his  horse.  He 
could  not  distinguish  it,  but  Lafe  was  certain.  All  the 
bodies  had  been  removed  and  heaps  of  newly-turned 
gravel  on  either  side  showed  that  the  victors  had  quickly 
removed  from  view  the  bodies  of  their  late  enemies. 
Breton  was  heavy-hearted,  and  the  thought  that  he  had 
killed  one  who  had  been  near  and  dear  to  him  in  the 
days  agone  unnerved  him.  He  was  very  weak  from  loss 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  77 

of  blood ;  this,  with  the  wrenching  which  the  trip  caused 
him,  was  too  much,  and  his  senses  again  forsook  him. 

Captain  Breton's  wounds  proved  more  serious  than 
was  at  first  anticipated,  and  owing  to  his  overwrought 
mental  condition  a  heavy  fever  set  in,  and  for  days  he 
tossed  in  delirium  upon  his  couch.  In  his  fever-haunted 
dreams  his  mind  wandered  back  to  the  time  when  he 
dealt  the  deathblow  to  his  cherished  friend.  As  his 
physical  strength  increased,  in  like  proportion  his  mind 
regained  its  former  clearness.  He  would  repeat  to 
himself  by  the  hour :  "It  was  in  fair  fight — it  was  war — " 
then  the  mood  would  change,  and  he  would  curse  him- 
self for  having  murdered  his  friend,  and  more,  for 
having  erected  an  insurmountable  barrier  between  him- 
self and  the  girl  he  loved ;  for  Armand  Breton  no  longer 
doubted  that  he  loved  Lucille  Phillips  with  a  pure, 
strong,  manly  devotion.  But  how  could  her  brother's 
slayer  ever  look  into  her  trustful  eyes  and  ask  her  to 
become  the  wife  of  the  man  whose  hands  were  reddened 
with  his  life  blood?  The  thought  was  maddening  to 
him.  So  melancholy  did  he  become  that  his  convales- 
cence was  seriously  retarded.  It  seemed  to  him  that  the 
great  cloud  of  sorrow  overshadowed  his  life ;  and  though 
he  considered  that  he  had  committed  an  act  which  must 
forever  separate  him  from  Lucille,  yet  he  loved  her  only 
the  more  strongly.  In  his  dreams  he  could  see  her 
bright,  sweet  face,  as  she  bade  him  farewell  and  said  the 
words  to  him  so  trustfully,  "I  respect  a  man  who  fights 
for  the  cause  he  loves."  He  had  thought  many  and 


78  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

many  times  that  respect  might  only  be  a  stepping-stone 
to  a  warmer  sentiment,  and  now  the  words  seemed  steeped 
in  gall  and  wormwood,  as  he  would  repeat  to  himself : 
"Yes,  but  suppose  that  man  killed  her  brother." 

His  mind  was  haunted  by  that  ghostly  upturned  face. 
The  picture  of  that  last  fatal  charge  seemed  to  hang 
framed  in  his  memory.  His  suffering  was  intensified 
by  the  personal  affection  which  he  held  for  the  man 
whom  he  had  slain.  In  strong  contrast  with  these 
mental  pictures  came  other  fleeting  visions — recollections 
of  the  happy  days  passed  with  the  man  who  was  lying 
with  the  unknown  dead  under  the  shadows  of  the 
Virginia  mountains. 

Lafe  had  become  alarmed  over  the  condition  of  his 
master,  and  had  adopted  the  plan  of  getting  in  men 
who  were  entirely  conversant  with  the  state  of  affairs 
at  the  front.  The  inspiring  words  of  the  supporters  of 
the  Southern  cause  seemed  to  interest  him  temporarily ; 
under  the  excitement  his  eyes  would  emit  their  old-time 
flash,  but  shortly  after  the  departure  of  his  comrades 
he  would  lapse  into  spells  of  listlessness  and  melancholy. 
One  day  he  told  Lafe  that  unless  he  regained  his  strength 
shortly  he  would  resign  from  the  service — that  he  was 
through  fighting  forever :  later,  inspired  by  the  report  of 
the  success  of  Southern  arms,  he  said  that  in  one  month 
he  should  report  for  duty  if  alive.  That  very  evening  a 
large  official  envelope  was  handed  to  him.  It  bore  the 
address — "Colonel  Armand  Breton."  True  to  his  inten- 
tion, Beauregard  had  forwarded  to  the  authorities  in 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  79 

Richmond  a  recommendation  warmly  indorsing  Armand 
Breton,  for  promotion  to  a  colonelcy.  There  had  been  a 
fearful  gap  in  the  roster  of  officers  who  had  taken  part 
in  the  affair  at  Rutgers',  and  the  recommendation  from 
Beauregard  was  sufficient  to  secure  for  Breton  advance 
in  official  rank.  Enclosed  with  his  commission  was  the 
request  that  he  report  for  duty  in  five  weeks  from  the 
date  of  his  commission.  This  made  practically  a  month 
from  the  time  Breton  received  the  notice. 

Lafe  was  delighted  to  learn  that  his  master  was 
promoted. 

"Golly,  you  is  a  cunnell,  su'!" 

Colonel  Breton  gained  rapidly  physically,  and  one 
day  he  decided  to  pay  a  visit  to  Richmond  in  order  to 
carry  out  the  last  request  of  the  man  under  whom  he 
served  at  Rutgers'.  He  lost  no  time  in  putting  his  pur- 
pose into  execution. 


80  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE   MEETING   IN   RICHMOND. 

THE  entire  South  was  like  a  huge  armed  camp.  In 
«very  part  there  was  excitement  of  the  most  thrilling 
character.  There  was  plenty  of  fighting  from  the  north- 
ernmost to  the  southernmost  part  of  the  country  which 
was  in  rebellion  against  the  government  founded  by  the 
heroes  of  the  American  revolution.  The  crack  of  the 
carbine  and  deadly  missile  of  lead  interrupted  many  a 
night's  bivouac  by  smoldering  campfires,  under  forest 
trees,  while  the  roar  of  artillery  seemed  never  to  cease. 
Richmond  at  that  time  was  the  hot-bed  of  secession,  and 
when  Armand  Breton  reached  the  capital  of  the  Confed- 
eracy it  was  in  deep  mourning  over  the  death  of  that 
valiant  soldier — Stonewall  Jackson.  The  untimely  tak- 
ing off  of  the  man  whose  military  genius  must  compel 
admiration  as  long  as  history  is  recorded  was  a  tremen- 
dous shock  to  the  Confederacy.  His  eccentric  figure  his 
followers  had  learned  to  love  ever  since  General  Bee 
uttered  the  historical  words  at  Bull  Run,  "Look,  there 
is  Jackson,  he  stands  like  a  stone  wall."  His  lightning- 
like  handling  of  troops,  together  with  the  results  which 
lie  accomplished,  made  him  one  of  the  strong  pillars  of 


THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  81 

the  Confederacy.  Arm  and  Breton  knew  in  his  soldier's 
heart,  as  he  bent  over  Jackson's  bier  in  the  capitol,  that 
the  cause  of  the  South  had  suffered  in  his  death  an  almost 
irreparable  loss. 

He  compared  the  tragic  death  of  Jackson — shot  by  his 
own  men — with  his  own  last  thrust  which  was  fatal  to  his 
friend.  He  sought  the  hospital  where  he  learned  that 
the  girl  to  whom  Colonel  Esten  was  affianced  was  staying. 
He  waited  in  the  reception-room  for  the  appearance  of 
her  whom  he  had  come  to  Richmond  to  comfort.  Pres- 
ently the  soft  rustle  of  a  dress  caused  him  to  start,  and 
before  him  stood  a  tall,  queenly  woman,  supple  of  limb 
and  of  graceful  carriage.  He  knew  instinctively  that 
she  was  the  affianced  of  the  brave  officer  who  met  his 
death  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight  at  the  battle  of  Rutgers'. 

In  low,  sweet  tones  she  asked : 

"And  you  are  Colonel  Breton?" 

The  officer  bowed  a  reply,  and  a  sad  look  crept  into 
her  expressive  brown  eyes  as  she  said : 

"You  came  from  Edmond,  did  you  not?" 

"Armand  Breton  murmured  a  reply.  Somehow,  he 
who  could  charge  a  battery,  could  not  muster  sufficient 
courage  to  talk  to  the  stately  girl  who  seemed  to  look 
into  his  very  heart  with  her  searching  eyes. 

"Then  you  have  learned  of  his  death?"  he  said  at  last. 

"Yes;  of  course,  I  scan  every  bit  of  war  news,  and 
knowing  .of  Edmond's  presence  near  Rutgers',  I  read 
with  inexpressible  sorrow  that  he  was  killed  there.  I 
read  also  that  you  were  dangerously  wounded.  When 


82  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

your  name  was  now  sent  in  to  me  I  at  once  divined  that 
you  came  to  me  with  a  message  from  Edmond." 

"You  are  perfectly  correct;  and  now  Miss  Calvert,  let 
me  ask  if  we  will  be  liable  to  interruption  here.  Some- 
how I  feel  the  message  I  have  is  too  sacred  to  repeat 
before  others ;  too  sorrowful  to  be  related  while  any  but 
you  are  present. ' ' 

"We  will  be  quite  alone;  I  have  requested  it." 

In  earnest  tones  the  young  soldier  related  how  Colonel 
Esten  was  depressed  by  his  warning  dream ;  how  he  knew 
almost  that  he  was  going  into  his  last  battle ;  how  ten- 
derly and  how  manfully  he  dwelt  upon  his  affection  for 
the  girl  whom  he  loved ;  how  tender  his  message  for  her ; 
how  brave  and  fearless  his  bearing!  Long  before  he 
had  finished  the  beautiful  eyes  of  his  listener  were 
swimming  in  tears.  Then  a  silence  fell  between  them. 
The  young  officer  quietly  arose,  saying  that  he  would 
call  on  the  morrow,  and  reverently  passed  out,  leaving 
the  girl  alone  with  her  sorrow. 

On  the  following  day  he  called  at  about  the  same  hour. 
Nita  Calvert  was  perfectly  composed  as  she  greeted  him, 
and  after  they  had  conversed  some  minutes  she  said: 
"Colonel  Breton,  I  have  some  news  which  I  think  you 
may  be  pleased  to  learn."  Breton  looked  at  her  in  sur- 
prise and  asked : 

"And  if  that  be  so  I  pray  you  to  tell  me. " 

"There  is  in  this  city  an  acquaintance  of  yours  whom, 
I  think,  you  will  be  glad  to  meet." 

"And  whom  may  that  be?" 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  83 

"She  mentioned  your  name  to  me  to-day.  I  do  not 
think  that  you  have  known  her  long,  but  I  am  sure  that 
you  will  be  pleased  to  meet  her  again,  even  in  Richmond, 
and  a  Yankee  at  that." 

"You  mean " 

"Lucille  Phillips." 

"Good  heavens,  Lucille  here,  in  Richmond — at  this 
time?  Tell  me,  Miss  Calvert,  what  brings  her  here?" 

"Why,  did  you  not  know  that  her  father,  Colonel 
Phillips,  was  wounded  at  Rutgers' ;  taken  with  other  pris- 
oners of  war  and  brought  here  ?  The  men  are  at  Belle 
Isle,  the  wounded  are  being  cared  for  at  our  hospi- 
tals." , 

"Colonel  Phillips  wounded  at  Rutgers' !  Could  I  have 
— no,  Miss  Calvert,  I  was  not  aware  that  he  was  in  that 
engagement,  although  I  knew  that  he  was  reported  as 
being  in  the  valley ;  for  personal  reasons  I  have  never 
even  read  the  official  report  of  that  battle." 

"And  yet  there  is  where  you  won  promotion.  You 
were  a  captain  before,  and  now  your  title  is  a  higher 
one." 

"True,  but  I  cannot  dwell  upon  the  sorrowful  results 
of  that  battle  without  suffering  the  keenest  anguish. " 

"You  thought  so  much  of  my  poor  dead  Edmond. " 

"I  knew  him  but  a  short  time,  but  respected  him 
greatly,  and  never  while  life  lasts  shall  I  forget  the  night 
he  met  his  death.  You  know,  Miss  Calvert,  there  are 
some  incidents  in  our  lives  which  seem  beyond  the 
power  of  removal  from  memory ;  that  night's  work  will 


84  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

never  be  effaced  from  mine.  But  pardon  me,  may  I  ask 
where  is  Miss  Phillips — and  is  her  father  out  of  danger?" 

"She  is  stopping  at  Ford's,  where  yesterday  her 
father  was  removed  from  the  hospital  greatly  improved. 
Her  appearance  here  was  a  surprise  to  me.  Possibly 
you  did  not  know  that  she  and  I  were  roommates  at  a 
seminary  in  New  Jersey.  After  the  war  had  broken  out, 
somehow  I  felt  that  my  place  was  in  the  hospitals  where 
I  could  care  for  the  brave  men  who  upheld  the  cause  of 
the  South.  Lucille  I  had  not  seen  since  then,  and  you 
may  imagine  my  astonishment  when  one  day  she  called 
upon  me." 

"Then  her  father  was  not  at  this  hospital?" 

"No;  it  was  after  his  removal  to  this  city  that  his  con- 
dition was  considered  dangerous.  Lucille,  learning  of 
this,  asked  permission  from  the  Confederate  authorities 
to  pass  through  our  lines  to  nurse  her  father.  This  was 
readily  granted,  and  she  came.  Under  her  tender  care 
her  father  grew  rapidly  better,  and  soon  now,  I  suppose, 
will  be  exchanged  for  some  Southern  colonel  who  is  now 
languishing  in  the  North. ' ' 

"Lucille — Miss  Phillips,  then,  knows  of  my  presence 
here?" 

"Yes;  and  I  think  that  she  will  be  delighted  to  see 
you.  I  am  sure  her  appearance  indicated  that  when  I 
told  her  that  Colonel  Armand  Breton  had  brought  me 
the  last  earthly  message  from  the  man  I  loved.  She 
said:  "Arrnand  Breton — is  he  here?  I  shall  be  glad  to 
see  him;  he  was  such  a  warm  friend  of  my  brother '' 


THE  SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  85 

"Yes,  we  were  very  fond  of  each  other  in  Paris." 

"She  said  that  you  came  back  together,  and  she  won- 
dered if  you  could  have  met  her  brother ;  he  was  also  at 
Rutgers',  and  never  has  been  heard  of  since.  Why, 
how  pale  you  are,  colonel !  the  shock  occasioned  by  the 
sudden  news  of  the  death  of  your  friend  is  too  much  for 
you  in  your  weakened  condition." 

"It  is  so  sudden!  poor  Lloyd!  and  you  say  that  his 
body  was  not  recovered?" 

"No,  it  was  not  identified,  but  still  there  can  be  no 
doubt  of  his  death — Lucille  even  admits  that,  and  is 
plunged  in  the  deepest  sorrow.  He  was  her  only 
brother ;  you  must  try  and  comfort  her,  colonel. ' ' 

"I  wish  to  heaven  I  could,"  said  Breton  brokenly. 
He  was  thinking  of  that  fateful  night,  and  how  with  the 
blood  of  her  brother  upon  his  hands  he  could  face  the 
girl  he  loved.  He  groaned  aloud  in  anguish  as  he 
turned  a  face  drawn  with  pain  toward  Nita  Calvert,  and 
said: 

"What  you  have  told  unnerves  me,  saddens  me, 
makes  me  sick  of  this  terrible  war  and  its  awful  destruc- 
tion of  human  life. ' ' 

Then  with  deep  lines  of  sorrow  across  his  face  he 
retraced  his  footsteps  to  his  tarrying  place.  All  that 
night  he  tossed  in  mental  agony.  At  times  he  thought 
that  he  would  hold  forever  locked  within  his  own  breast 
the  awful  secret  of  Lloyd  Phillips'  death,  and  try  his 
every  power  to  win  the  girl  he  loved.  Then,  again,  hia 
whole  nature  would  revolt,  and  he  would  cry,  "No,  that 


86  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

cannot  be ;  love  the  murderer  of  her  brother — and  marry 
him  ?  Never. ' ' 

When  the  dim  light  of  dawn  began  to  creep  into 
his  chamber  he  fell  into  a  deep  slumber  from  which 
he  did  not  awaken  until  the  morning  was  well  advanced. 
Then,  after  breakfast,  he  wended  his  way  with  a 
heart  torn  with  conflicting  emotions  toward  the  hotel 
where  Lucille  and  her  father  were  staying.  It  was 
only  a  short  time  after  he  had  sent  up  his  name  before 
Lucille  came  down  to  meet  him.  She  was  clad  in  deep 
mourning,  her  face  although  pale  was  sweet  and  beauti- 
ful— framed  with  its  crown  of  golden  hair.  She  seemed 
to  have  been  transformed  since  their  former  meeting 
from  a  happy,  winsome,  light-hearted  girl  into  a  tender, 
sympathetic  woman ;  so  thought  Breton  as  he  arose  to 
greet  her.  At  first  it  was  hard  for  him  to  tell  whether 
he  loved  more  the  bright,  piquant  maiden,  or  the 
womanly  creature  whom  he  saw  before  him.  But,  man- 
like, he  chose  the  present.  The  past  was  a  joyous  mem- 
ory, while  the  present  to  him  was  at  least  sweet  as  he 
bent  low  over  her  hand.  For  the  moment  the  sad 
thoughts  which  had  so  lately  oppressed  him  were  dis- 
pelled under  the  magic  cast  upon  him  by  the  presence  of 
the  woman  who  had  become  so  dear  to  him.  His  pleas- 
ant day-dreams  were  soon  to  be  rudely  shattered,  for 
after  a  few  conventional  phrases,  Lucille  suddenly  asked  : 

"You  were  dangerously  wounded  at  Rutgers',  were  you 
not?  And  now  that  I  can  see  you  fairly  I  note  how  thin 
and  pale  you  are;  I  suppose  you  also  can  see  many 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  87 

changes  in  me.  This  dreadful  war !  It  has  already  cost 
me  my  brother ;  and  papa,  too,  came  near  going.  I  have 
often  wondered  if  you  could  have  met  Lloyd  in  that 
awful  battle. 

Slowly  and  painfully  Breton  replied:  "I  was  almost 
sure,  Miss  Phillips,  that  I  saw  him  once,  but  then  only 
for  an  instant.  Your  friend  Miss  Calvert,  whom  I  came 
to  Richmond  to  see,  told  me  yesterday  that  his  death 
has  never  been  reported  officially." 

"No,  but  then,  if  Lloyd  had  lived  he  would  surely 
have  communicated  with  us  before  this.  Sometimes  I 
have  vague  doubts,  but  I  am  afraid  they  are  not  in 
accordance  with  facts. ' ' 

Breton  was  suffering  infinite  torture  while  listening  to 
Lucille,  and  he  felt  that  he  must  divert  the  conversation 
into  other  channels,  or  else  he  must  relate  to  her  the 
part  which  he  had  played  in  the  disappearance  of  Lloyd. 

"Ah,  Miss  Phillips,  would  to  God  that  I  could  undo 
the  work  of  that  night.  The  suffering  which  it  has 
caused  us  is  beyond  calculation,  and  I  can  never  revert 
to  it  without  sorrow.  I  beg  of  you  let  us  change  the 
current  of  our  talk.  I  was  warmly,  devotedly  attached  to 
your  brother,  and  in  his  death  I  am  a  most  wretched 
sufferer.  The  subject  is  too  painful  for  you  and  me  to 
dwell  upon.  You  have  lost  a  brother,  and  I  a  friend,  for 
whom  the  attachment  could  have  scarcely  been  stronger 
had  he  been  my  brother.  Tell  me  now  of  the  living.  Is 
Colonel  Phillips  considered  out  of  danger?" 

"Oh,  yes,  papa  is  getting  on  nicely." 


88  THE   SWORD  OF   THE  PYRAMIDS. 

"And  your  mother — does  she  bear  up  bravely  under 
the  great  sorrow  which  has  befallen  her?" 

"Why,  mamma  has  suffered  greatly,  yet  she  has  such 
perfect  control  of  her  feelings  that  outwardly  she  does 
not  give  that  evidence  of  anguish  which  we  who  know 
her  believe  is  almost  consuming  her." 

After  a  short  stay  the  officer  arose,  and  accepting  an 
invitation  from  Lucille  to  call  on  the  following  day, 
returned  to  his  hotel. 

After  that  his  calls  were  frequent.  He  would  sit  by 
the  hour  by  the  bedside  of  the  old  Union  officer,  while 
Lucille  flitted  about  the  room,  performing  some  dainty, 
feminine  task,  which  made  the  room  pleasant  to  stay  in, 
while  the  sunshine  of  her  presence  diffused  a  radiance 
which  made  both  men  happy.  Thus  the  days  passed, 
and  as  time  sped  on  Armand  and  Lucille  were  thrown 
more  and  more  in  each  other's  society.  Together  they 
Would  visit  the  hospital  where  the  sweet  presence  of  Nita 
Calvert  cast  a  soothing  influence  over  the  war-tossed 
soldiers  whose  mangled  forms  told  the  story  of  the  fear- 
ful gap  being  made  in  the  ranks  of  the  men  who  were 
struggling  for  the  freedom  of  the  Southland.  Often- 
times when  Lucille's  patient  was  able  to  dispense  with 
her  presence  they  would  take  long  rides.  All  the  while 
they  were  drifting  unconsciously,  as  it  were,  toward  a 
deeper  and  stronger  current — that  current  where  two 

• 

lives  are  blended  in  one.  Armand  thought  only  of 
Lucille,  and  while  he  knew  that  his  furlough  was  becom- 
ing more  and  more  narrowed,  yet  thoughts  of  love  instead 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  89 

of  war  were  uppermost  in  his  mind.  The  dream  was  so 
idyllic  that  he  feared  to  awaken.  One  morning  some- 
thing occurred  to  bring  him  to  a  keen  sense  of  realiza- 
tion of  the  situation ;  and,  counting  the  days,  he  found 
that  there  remained  less  than  seven  before  the  expira- 
tion of  his  leave  of  absence.  Soon  he  must  be  in  the 
saddle,  and  should  he  tell  Lucille  all  before  he  left? 
On  this  he  pondered.  At  last  he  concluded  that  he 
would  at  least  know  the  feelings  the  girl  would  entertain 
toward  the  man  who  struck  down  her  brother  in  fair 
fight.  Still  he  hesitated,  and  his  leave  of  absence  nar- 
rowed down  to  two  days.  His  health  had  returned,  and 
it  was  with  quick  strides  that  he  sought  the  hotel  which 
was  the  temporary  home  of  the  Union  officer  and  his 
daughter.  Colonel  Phillips,  under  the  tender  nursing 
of  Lucille,  had  improved  wonderfully.  He  now  was  able 
to  be  up,  and  pleasant  days  he  sat  upon  the  wide 
veranda.  Armand  Breton  said  to  her  after  he  had  gone 
over  the  latest  war  news  with  her  father:  "I  report  to- 
morrow to  the  department  for  assignment  to  duty." 

"So  soon?"  said  the  girl.     "How  papa  will  miss  you. " 

Breton  sighed,  "I  wonder  if  any  one  else  will  notice 
my  absence  or  would  care  if  I  came  back  or  not?" 

Lucille,  while  her  face  was  partly  turned  from  him  to 
hide  a  red  tinge  which  crept  up  over  her  cheeks,  as  she 
arranged  tfye  lace  curtains,  said : 

"Why,  I  am  sure  there  are  others;  I  know  Nita  Cal- 
vert  will  miss  you,  and — I — shall  miss  you,  sir,  as  in- 
structor. You  have  not  completed  your  riding  lessons 


90  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

yet,  and  I  am  only  beginning  to  show  improvement 
under  your  tuition.  You  have  time  for  one  more  lesson  ?" 

"Do  you  wish  to  go  now?"  he  asked. 

"Of  course,  my  last  lesson!  how  could  I  miss  it?  I 
will  be  ready  by  the  time  the  horses  have  been  saddled 
and  are  led  around. ' ' 

"Very  well,  I  will  at  once  have  them  saddled.  Which 
one  shall  I  order  for  you  to-day  ?  You  know  the  black 
one  you  rode  yesterday  is  hardly  safe  for  you  to  ride ;  I 
should  say  it  would  be  better  for  you  to  ride  the  bay. " 

The  young  Confederate  had  a  motive  beyond  that  he 
expressed  in  recommending  the  bay.  With  that  he  knew 
he  would  have  an  opportunity  of  carrying  on  a  con- 
versation with  her,  while  if  she  rode  the  high-spirited 
black  steed,  she  would  be  separated  from  him,  or  not 
close  enough  to  converse  the  greater  part  of  the  ride. 
But  Lucille  was  determined  to  ride  the  black  one,  and 
replied  : 

"No,  I  cannot  allow  you  to  carry  away  with  you  to- 
morrow an  impression  that  a  Yankee  girl  is  afraid  to 
ride.  I  know  that  Southern  ladies  excel  in  riding. 
Please  have  the  black  one  saddled  for  me,  will  you  not?" 

Breton  could  only  bow  in  acquiescence,  and  departed 
to  give  the  orders.  Soon  the  horses  were  brought 
around  and  the  young  officer  was  following,  Lucille  in 
the  lead,  toward  the  suburbs  of  the  city.  They  were 
well  in  the  country  when  Breton  galloping  alongside 
•aid: 

"Miss    Phillips,    your   horse    seems   unusually   fiery 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  91 

to-day.  We  will  turn  back  shortly  if  you  find  him 
unmanageable. ' ' 

But  Lucille  would  not  listen  to  such  a  proposition. 

The  excitement  of  the  ride  and  the  clearness  of  the 
air  made  her  face  glow,  so  that  Breton  thought  he 
had  never  seen  her  look  more  bewitching  than  just 
then ;  such  an  animated  picture ;  so  full  of  life,  beauty, 
and  strength,  the  golden-haired  rider  and  the  fierce 
black  horse.  They  rode  along  side  by  side,  chatting 
pleasantly,  and  once,  when  the  officer  was  on  the 
point  of  touching  upon  the  subject  uppermost  in  his 
taind,  Lucille  said  : 

"See  yonder  tree,  let  it  be  the  turning  point,  and  let 
us  race  for  it. ' ' 

The  tree  to  which  she  pointed  was  nearly  a  mile  away. 
Her  challenge  was  accepted,  and  they  were  off.  Lucille, 
after  a  short  spurt,  took  the  lead  and  held  it.  Turning 
in  her  saddle  she  gayly  shook  her  head  defiantly  toward 
her  escort  who  was  following  close.  Just  as  she  turned 
the  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle  near  at  hand  caused  her  horse 
to  wheel  quickly,  half-carrying  her  from  the  saddle. 
The  horse  was  then  going  at  a  terrific  pace  down  a  steep 
decline  in  the  road ;  a  rolling  stone — a  mad  plunge,  and 
the  horror-stricken  Breton  saw  Lucille  going  flying  over 
the  horse's  head,  striking  among  the  rough,  cruel 
bowlders  in  the  road  side. 

Spurring  hastily  forward,  in  an  instant  he  was  dis- 
mounted and  bending  over  the  motionless  form  of  the 
girl,  who  was  lying  still  and  white  where  she  had 


92  THE  SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

fallen.  Her  face  was  pallid  as  death,  and  from  a  gash  in 
her  matted  golden  hair  a  stream  of  blood  trickled  down 
and  across  her  marble-like  face,  staining  her  dress  with  its 
crimson  flow.  A  stream  of  water  ran  along  the  roadside 
a  short  distance  below.  Breton  rushed  to  it,  seized  his 
hat,  filled  it  with  the  cool  liquid,  and  returning,  bathed 
the  wound  on  her  head  and  her  brow,  but  no  sign  of  life 
was  shown.  Was  she  dead  ?  and  so  full  of  life  and  energy 
but  a  short  time  before !  Breton  chafed  her  hands,  then 
with  his  arms  supporting  her  lifeless  form  he  bathed  her 
brow  again  and  again  in  feverish  haste. 

"Lucille,  my  love,  speak  to  me,"  he  frantically  called 
to  her,  using  endearing  names.  "Lucille,  my  darling, 
it  is  too  cruel.  You  are  not — cannot  be  dead!"  and  he 
bent  and  kissed  her. 

Just  then  the  blue  eyes  opened,  and  looked  up  at  him, 
while  her  lips  whispered  his  name — 

"Armand." 

Soon  she  was  able  to  sit  up,  and  as  her  blood  began  to 
course  through  the  many  arteries  her  face  gradually 
assumed  its  flush  of  pink.  Upon  examination  it  proved 
that  the  cut  upon  her  head  was  not  in  the  least  danger- 
ous, her  insensibility  having  been  caused  by  the  concus- 
sion received  from  her  fall.  After  a  little  Lucille 
declared  that  she  never  felt  better  in  her  whole  life, 
glancing  shyly  at  Breton  while  she  added,  "or  happier." 

Breton  was  too  much  occupied  with  his  own  thoughts 
to  notice  the  last  words.  After  assuring  himself  that 
she  had  suffered  no  serious  results  from  her  fall,  he  at 


THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  93 

once  went  in  search  of  the  black  horse,  which,  after  some 
delay,  he  succeeded  in  capturing.  Returning,  he  de- 
clared that  he  would  not  permit  her  to  ride  that  horse — 
she  must  ride'his  own.  Lucille  interposed  no  objections, 
and  after  changing  saddles  they  were  shortly  on  their 
return  trip.  Breton  was  strangely  silent,  while  Lucille 's 
looks  were  downcast.  As  they  approached  the  hotel 
Lucile  asked : 

"Will  you  not  stay  and  dine  with  us  to-night?  Papa 
will  be  glad  to  have  you,  and  I  need  not  add  that  it  will 
give  me  pleasure  as  well.  Besides,  after  all  the  trouble 
I  have  caused  you  to-day  I  think  you  should  at  least 
allow  us  to  try  and  make  pleasant  your  last  night  in 
Richmond." 

Breton  quickly  accepted  the  invitation  and  passed  a 
most  delightful  evening  in  company  with  the  colonel  and 
his  daughter.  Lucille  seemed  determined  not  to  allow 
him  to  see  her  alone,  and  the  old  colonel  seemed  in  a 
particularly  reminiscent  mood ;  his  health  had  improved, 
and  he  was  feeling  in  capital  spirits.  He  talked  of  the 
days  when  he  knew  Lee,  Longstreet,  Beauregard,  and 
other  leaders  of  the  Confederacy  in  the  Mexican  war  and 
on  the  frontier.  While  the  colonel's  stories  would  have 
been  entertaining  under  ordinary  conditions,  yet  to 
Breton,  in  his  excited  state,  they  were  devoid  of  even 
interest.  Presently  the  elder  man  began  to  show  signs 
of  sleepiness,  and  much  to  the  delight  of  Breton,  he 
bade  him  good-night.  Then  the  young  officer,  turning 
to  Lucille,  said,  "To-morrow  I  leave,  and  before  going 


94  THE  SWORD  OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

to-night  may  I  have  your  permission  to  relate  a  little 
story — a  sketch  of  a  man's  life?" 

Lucille  bowed  in  assent ;  then  Breton,  seating  himself 
so  that  his  face  was  in  the  shadow  cast  by  the  light, 
began : 

"  'Tis  only  a  brief  sketch.  It  may  interest  you. 
Years  ago  a  little  boy  was  sent  by  his  father  to  be  edu- 
cated  in  New  Orleans.  He  was  born  in  Virginia.  His 
mother  he  never  saw.  He  grew  up  under  the  guidance 
of  good  men.  He  was  impressionable,  and  became  a 
firm  believer  as  a  youth  in  the  institutions  of  the  South. 
Years  passed  on  and  he  was  sent  to  Paris.  He  was 
neither  better  nor  much  worse  than  other  young  men  of 
his  age.  While  in  Paris  he  met  a  young  man — an 
American  like  himself — to  whom  he  became  devotedly 
attached.  The  feelings  existing  between  them  were  of 
the  most  friendly  nature.  They  studied  together.  From 
across  the  Atlantic  came  the  news  of  the  coming  dismem- 
berment of  the  American  Republic.  Both  the  friends 
were  wrought  up  over  the  reports  which  reached  them. 
They  had  been  reared  under  different  environments; 
therefore  they  thought  differently  about  the  matters 
which  agitated  America.  When  the  war  opened  they 
left  Paris  on  the  same  steamer.  They  were  to  enter  the 
army — one  North — one  South.  The  man  whose  story  I 
tell  stopped  a  short  time  with  his  friend ;  he  met  his 
sister;  at  that  time  he  did  not  know  his  true  feelings 
toward  her.  Later  he  had  no  difficulty  in  analyzing 
them — he  loved  her  with  all  the  strength  of  his  manhood. 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  95 

The  war  went  on,  and  the  man  or  my  story  was  on  his 
native  soil  of  Virginia  wielding  his  sword  against  her 
invaders.  One  day  he  received  a  message  from  his  uncle, 
wno  had  always  lived  at  the  old  Virginia  homestead,  that 
ne  desired  to  communicate  to  him  something  of  impor- 
*ance  regarding  his  family.  There  had  always  been  a 
mystery  about  his  father,  and  that  had  aroused  the  inter- 
est of  the  young  man.  He  met  his  uncle  at  a  certain 
rendezvous,  where  he  had  told  him  the  startling  news 
ttiat  the  name  by  which  ne  was  known  was  not  his 
tether's  true  name.  His  father  was  a  soldier  of  renown, 
wnose  real  name  was  withheld.  On  his  way  back  to  his 
wwn  lines  he  had  several  narrow  escapes,  being  shot  at 
irom  ambush  once.  He  learned  some  valuable  news 
f^garding  the  enemy -s  movements,  which  upon  his 
return  he  at  once  communicated  to  his  commanding  gen- 
eral. He  was  ordered  with  the  principal  attacking  party. 
J&  was  a  night  attack.  The  fight  was  fierce,  and  every  step 
wg  advance  was  met  with  bitter  opposition.  The  young 
«nan  was  a  soldier — he  was  drunk  with  human  blood — 
MA  hacked  and  hewed  Ills  way  through  living  masses 
relentlessly.  In  the  dark,  murky  air,  thick  with  sul- 
phurous clouds,  friends  were  hardly  distinguishable 
from  foes.  He  was  opposed  by  a  stalwart  soldier,  and 
his  blade  crossed  with  that  of  his  opponent.  Both  were 
mounted.  He  made  a  terrible  lunge,  the  guard  of  the  man 
who  opposed  him  was  t>roten,  he  reeled  in  his  saddle 
and  fell ;  in  the  lurid  light  made  by  an  exploding  shell 
he  saw  the  face  of  the  man  wnom  he  had  slain.  It  waa 


96  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

the  friend  of  his  youth,  of  his  manhood — whom  he  loved, 
and  the  brother  of  the  woman  he  hoped  to  win. ' ' 

Lucille,  who  had  been  listening  intently,  stood  upright 
before  him  and  half -screamed : 

"You,  Armand,  you " 

Breton  arose,  stepped  forward  where  the  light  fell  full 
upon  him ;  his  face  was  ashen  pale,  but  his  voice  was  firm 
as  he  replied  sadly : 

" I killed  Lloyd  Phillips,  my  friend." 

Lucille 's  strength  gave  way,  and  she  swayed  as  if 
about  to  fall.  Supporting  her  gently,  Breton  assisted  her 
to  an  easy-chair,  then  standing  over  her  he  said : 

"Lucille,  I  need  not  tell  you  how  I  have  suffered.  We 
are  all  of  us  blind  forces  whom  cruel  fate  guides  to 
unknown  destinies.  Rather  than  to  have  killed  Lloyd  I 
would  have  taken  my  own  life.  I  have  only  told  you 
in  brief.  But  short  as  has  been  my  story,  it  represents 
to  me  ages  of  suffering.  Ah,  God !  what  have  I  not 
suffered !  But,  Lucille,  there  is  one  part  which  I  must 
dwell  upon.  It  is  this :  neither  Lloyd  nor  I  knew  each 
other.  We  fought  as  soldiers  in  ignorance  of  each  other's 
identity,  and  I  unconsciously  struck  down  the  man  who 
was  my  friend — your  brother,  thereby  raising  between 
me  and  the  woman  whom  I  love  with  all  the  strength  of 
my  manhood  an  insurmountable  barrier.  With  your 
brother's  blood  upon  my  hands  I  should  never  have  told 
you  of  my  love  for  you  had  it  not  been  for  your  accident 
of  to-day.  I  knew  that  I  had  no  right  to  speak  of  my 
love  for  you.  But  when  I  saw  you  so  still  and  white, 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  97 

believing  you  dead,  my  true  feelings  overawept  the  bar- 
riers of  resistance  which,  under  ordinary  circumstances, 
would  have  sufficed  to  restrain  me.  Then  I  considered 
it  my  duty  to  tell  you  the  part  which  I  played  in  the 
horrible  tragedy  enacted  under  the  dark  shadows  of  the 
mountains  at  Eutgers'.  I  played  an  unwilling  part — an 
unconscious  part ;  but  nevertheless  the  curtain  has  been 
rung  down  upon  my  happiness  forever.  Lucille,  in 
judging  me  I  pray  you  to  first  consider  that  I  knew  not 
whom  I  assailed. 

Lucille  looked  up  at  the  young  officer  and  said : 

"It  is  so  sudden,  so  dreadful,  I  can  scarcely  believe 
that  it  is  not  some  terrible  dream.  But,  Armand,  you 
have  been  brave  and  frank  with  me.  I  will  also  be  frank 
with  you  in  return.  This  is  no  time  for  other  than 
truthful  statements  as  you  and  I  part  to-night — perhaps 
forever" — and  her  voice  was  tremulous.  "While  I  can 
never  forget  that  you  killed  my  brother,  yet  I  do  not 
blame  you  in  the  sense  of  reproaching  you  for  the  act 
which  you  committed  in  the  performance  of  your  duty 
as  a  soldier.  I  can  never  think  of  Lloyd  without  in  the 
same  instant  thinking  of  you  as  being  his  slayer;  but  I 
shall  not  think  of  you  in  the  light  of  a  murderer.  It 
was  war ;  and  you,  after  all,  were  only  an  instrument ; 
you  were  directed — you  struck — all  were  foes,  but  you — 
killed  your  friend " 

"Then  you  do  not  loathe  me  for  the   unhappy 
which  I  played?" 

"I  could  not  loathe  you." 


98  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

"Lucille,  how  often  have  I  repeated  to  myself  the 
words  which  you  said  to  me  in  New  York — 'I  respect  the 
man  who  fights  for  the  cause  he  loves. '  Since  that  mad 
plunge  I  have  wondered  it  you  could  respect  that  man, 
although  in  the  line  of  a  soldier's  duty  it  caused  him  to 
become  the  slayer  of  your  brother.  What  would  I  not 
give  to  recall  that  fateful  night's  work!  It  has  cost  me 
my  friend's  life.  Et  has  cost  me  nw  Deace  of  mind  for- 
ever ;  for  it  has  cost  me  the  riaht  to  strive  to  win  you 
for  my  wife. ' ' 

The  fair  listener  said,  after  a  pause*  "Armand,  suppose 
I  should  relate  a  story,  preserving  the  same  characters  as 
in  yours,  only  that  the  sister.,  after  analyzing  her  feelings 
toward  the  young  man,  found  that  she — that •" 

"You  don't  mean,  Lucille,  that  you  love  me?' 

"I  suppose,  sir,  that  word  would  correctly  express  the 
feelings  which  the  young  girl  entertained  toward  her 
brother's  friend." 

As  he  clasped  her  in  his  arms  while  he  rained  kisses 
upon  her  lips,  Breton  murmured: 

"Thank  God,  Lucille,  my  darling,  the  clouds  have 
passed  away,  and  now  it  is  all  sunshine." 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  99 


CHAPTER   VH. 

SHATTERED  HOPES. 

THERE  was  wild  turmoil  and  excitement  in  Richmond 
the  following  morning.  Colonel  Breton  was  aroused 
from  his  peaceful  slumbers  by  the  clanging  of  bells  and 
the  excited  voices  of  the  populace.  That  dashing  cavalry- 
man, Kilpatrick,  had  gone  completely  around  Lee's  army 
and  had  swept  like  a  whirlwind  up  to  the  very  gates  of 
Richmond  before  his  wild  raid  was  stopped  by  the  men 
of  Hampton's  Legion.  It  was  the  intention  of  the  Union 
cavalry  leader  to  dash  into  Richmond  and  liberate  the 
Federal  soldiers  imprisoned  at  Belle  Isle  and  Libby 
prisons,  and  but  for  the  timely  arrival  of  that  gallant 
soldier  Wade  Hampton,  it  is  possible  that  the  impetuous 
Kilpatrick  would  have  accomplished  his  daring  scheme. 
Knowing  that  the  unusual  excitement  meant  that  some- 
thing of  importance  had  transpired,  Breton  lost  no  time 
in  ascertaining  its  real  import.  He  then  became  the 
soldier,  and  after  a  hasty  breakfast  he  at  once  reported 
to  the  war  department  for  assignment.  His  old  com- 
mander, Beauregard,  was  then  in  Tennessee,  and  he  antici- 
pated that  he  would  be  sent  again  to  him ;  but  to  his 
surprise  he  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  Virginia.  The 


100  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

invasion  of  the  North  had  been  decided  upon  by  the 
Southern  leaders,  and  even  then  the  intrepid  Lee  was 
marching  with  his  valiant  hosts  toward  the  fruitful  val- 
leys of  Maryland.  Armand  Breton  came  back  to  the 
hotel  with  an  exultant  smile  upon  his  features.  He 
was  glad  to  be  with  Lee,  and  the  signs  portended  plenty 
of  hard  fighting.  It  was  with  elastic  step  that  he  sought 
the  hotel.  He  would  arrange  his  effects,  send  for  Lafe, 
who  had  been  staying  with  some  acquaintances  in  the 
city,  then  he  would  go  over  and  say  farewell  to  his  sweet- 
heart. As  he  thought  of  Lucille,  a  look  of  added  happi- 
ness overspread  his  features  as  he  repeated  to  himself : 
"The  dear  girl!  so  she  loved  me  then,  and  she  has  made 
me  so  happy.  What  a  difference  a  day  oftentimes  makes 
in  one's  feelings!  Yesterday  I  was  in  the  depths  of 
despair,  I  was  positively  overwhelmed  with  gloom,  and 
to-day,  well,  I  feel  as  light-hearted  as  when  Lloyd — 
poor  Lloyd,  I  can  never  forget  that  unhappy  night — and 
I  went  out  together  to  see  the  sights  of  Paris.  "What 
times  we  did  have !  I  did  not  love  then,  and  it  was  differ- 
ent. I  shall  tell  Lafe  to-day,  as  Lucille  requested,  that  I 
shall  give  him  his  freedom.  He  is  a  faithful  fellow,  that 
Lafe — looks  a  little  like  me  too — I  wonder — it  is  possible — 
Well,  I  shall  tell  him  that  he  is  as  free  as  I  am  after 
to-day,  anyhow.  Now  for  Lucille:  how  sweet  she 
looked,  how  cleverly  she  told  me  that  little  story!  She 
would  not  say  to  me  that  she  loved  me,  until — ah  well, ' ' 
and  up  the  steps  leading  to  the  entrance  of  the  hotel 
bounded  the  young  man  with  a  heart  as  light  and  airy  as 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  101 

the  fleecy  June  clouds  which  floated  in  the  sea  of  blue 
above  him. 

In  his  haste  he  rushed  into  a  man,  who  was  evidently 
waiting  on  the  threshold,  with  such  force  as  to  send 
him  spinning  half  across  the  lobby.  The  man  who 
had  temporarily  blocked  his  progress  he  saw  was  a 
servant  who  waited  on  the  Phillipses.  "When  he  had 
recovered  himself  he  came  forward  and  said,  while  he 
held  in  his  hand  extended  toward  Breton  a  letter : 

"Marse  Cunnell,  Miss  Lucille  tole  me  to  be  suah  and 
give  this  to  you." 

"Wonder  what  is  up  now,"  thought  Breton,  as  he 
took  the  letter.  "I  presume  the  dear  girl  wishes  me  to 
come  over  and  dine  with  her  before  I  leave  to-day. 
Can't  do  it;  I  should  like  to  awfully,  and — I  wonder  if  I 
can't  manage  to  catch  a  few  extra  minutes  with  her  alone. 
I  shall  tell  her  father  to-day,  but  not  the  Rutgers'  part. 
"Wonder  what  the  old  colonel  will  say  when  he  learns  that 
he  is  to  have  a  rebel  son-in-law? — and  Mrs.  Phillips,  I  know 
she  will  object.  But  then  she  can't  withhold  her  con- 
sent when  we  both  plead  with  her. ' '  Thus  musing  Breton 
had  passed  with  the  letter  unopened  to  his  room,  after 
dismissing  the  servant.  Seating  himself  by  the  window, 
he  opened  the  missive  and  read.  As  his  eyes  scanned 
the  lines  his  face  became  deathly  pale,  and  all  the  light 
forsook  his  face.  Then  he  buried  his  face  in  his  hands 
while  his  frame  shook  with  suppreswed  emotion.  After 
awhile  he  sat  up  and  again  gazed  at  the  pages  before 
him.  His  whole  being  had  undergone  a  complete 


102  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

change.  There  was  a  look  upon  his  face  which  seemed 
to  mirror  forth  poignant  suffering;  that  look  told  of 
stony  despair,  of  infinite  depths  of  woe.  His  lips 
moved,  but  gave  forth  no  sound — his  eyes  remained 
transfixed  upon  the  lines  before  him  as  he  read : 

"ARMAND,  MY  BEST  BELOVED:  It  causes  me  bitter  suffer- 
ing to  write  these  lines,  but  I  think,  no  matter  what  it 
costs  us — both  you  and  I — it  will  prove  better  in  the  end 
than  to  have  suffered  eternal  remorse  as  I  am  sure  that 
we  would  did  you  and  I  wed.  Can  you  not  see  that  our 
alliance  would  be  unholy,  sacrilegious  almost?  Can 
you  not  see  that  between  us  would  always  be  the 
ghost  of  my  dead  brother?  Can  you  not  see  that  we  are 
separated  by  a  brother's  blood?  Last  night  after  you 
had  gone  all  this  came  to  me,  and  I  asked  myself  was  it 
right,  Armand,  that  I  should  love  you  and  should  marry 
you?  In  the  stillness  of  my  chamber  I  asked  God  for 
guidance.  I  then  grew  calm  and  felt  a  new  strength — 
strength  to  pen  these  lines,  even  though  my  heart  is 
breaking.  It  is  better  thus,  Armand,  than  a  lifetime  of 
bitter  remorse.  I  know  that  remorse  would  come  to  you 
as  well  as  to  me.  I  do  not  wish  to  pain  you.  God 
knows  what  anguish  it  causes  me  to  write  what  I  feel  it 
my  duty  to  do ;  but  we  must  part,  and  if  you  come  to- 
day you  would  only  make  the  task  before  me  harder, 
and  the  parting  fraught  with  still  greater  sorrow.  Your 
presence  would  also  unnerve  me,  and  I  desire  and  need 
all  my  strength  to  carry  out  the  resolutions  which  I  believe 
both  you  and  I  will  say  in  years  to  come  are  the  wisest. 
You  cannot  know,  Armand,  what  I  suffer  in  my  resolve 
to  ask  you  to  leave  me  forever,  for  I  love  you  dearly. 
And  now  I  feel  that  it  would  be  unwomanly  in  me  not 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  103 

to  say  in  frankness  I  have  loved  you  long.  I  wish  you 
to  remove  from  your  heart  doubts,  if  any  exist,  that  I 
blame  you  for  having  played  an  unconscious  part.  I  do 
not ;  you  were  guided  by  some  cruel,  inexplicable  decree 
of  fate — an  instrument  for  an  unhappy  purpose.  Let 
me  not  dwell  upon  that ;  my  heart  will  be  always  with 
you,  and,  Arm  and,  some  time  later,  not  now,  you  will 
write  to  me.  It  will  comfort  me  to  hear  from  you,  my 
dearest.  LUCILLE  PHILLIPS." 


After  reading  the  letter  Breton  sat  awhile  in  silence. 
His  expressive  face  showed  the  great  grief  that  he  was 
suffering.  Then,  starting  up,  he  took  a  few  rapid  strides 
across  the  floor  while  he  muttered:  "So  this  is  the  end 
of  my  dreams  of  a  moment  ago — shattered — broken — 
wrecked.  I  could  have  endured  it  had  it  not  been  for 
last  night,  with  heaven  in  sight — reached,  and  then  to 
be  plunged  into  the  blackest  depths  of  hell  makes  hell 
only  the  more  bitter.  Why  could  I  not  have  gone  down 
forever  on  that  field  as  well  as  Lloyd?  Lucille  is  right 
— perhaps — well,  it  is  over!  and  now  for  action.  The 
horrible  pastime  of  killing  men — there  is  strange  fas- 
cination in  it.  Let  me  revel  in  it  now.  Since  the  kill- 
ing of  one  man  has  destroyed  my  happiness,  let  me  add 
many  more  to  the  list.  I  will  glut  myself  with  human 
blood,  and  let  my  sword  give  good  service  toward  sweep- 
ing these  cursed  Puritans  from  the  bosom  of  Virginia." 
And  with  this  he  descended  to  the  office,  where  he  at  once 
dispatched  a  messenger  for  Lafe,  telling  him  to  report 
immediately.  Lafe  was  waiting  for  orders  when  the 


104  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

messenger  arrived,  and  repaired  at  once  to  his  master's 
room.  "Come  in,"  shouted  Breton  in  response  to  Lafe's 
timid  knock. 

"Lafe,"  he  said,  "I  suppose  you  know  that  the  Fed- 
eral president  has  declared  officially  that  all  slaves  are 
now  free?" 

"Yes,  Marse  Cunnell,  I  know  all  about  dat.  Massa 
Linkum  freed  de  slaves. " 

"Well,  Lafe,  I  called  you  over  to  say  this.  That  what- 
ever proclamation  Lincoln  has  made  does  not  influence 
me  in  the  slightest,  because  I  deny  his  right  legally  and 
morally  to  act  as  he  has  in  this  matter.  But  yesterday 
a  lady  whom  I  revere  made  it  clear  to  me  that  I  should 
be  only  acting  right  to  give  you  freedom.  I  have  never 
considered  slavery  just  in  the  light  in  which  she  pre- 
sented it.  And,  Lafe,  now  it  gives  me  pleasure  to  say 
that  you  are  as  free  from  this  hour  as  I.  Go  where  you 
will.  I  have  no  longer  the  right  to  control  your  actions. ' ' 

"Mus'  I  leave  you,  cunnell?" 

"No,  not  unless  you  desire,  but  from  this  date  your 
services  will  receive  some  remuneration  from  me." 

"I's  all  de  'numeration  I  want,  and  I  don't  want  ter 
leave  you.  I's  much  'tach  to  you  Marse  Armand;  you 
know  de  ole  massa,  he  always  lets  me  do  as  I  like ;  I  grew 
up  with  you  all,  'til  you's  sent  'way  to  New  Orleans, 
then  Lafe  see  berry  little  of  young  massa  till  war  done 
brok'  out.  De  ole  massa  berry  kind  to  Lafe,  an'  Massa 
Cunnell,  I  don't  wan'  ter  leave  you." 

"And  I,  Lafe,  prefer  you  to  stay  with  me.     When  I 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  105 

gave  you  your  freedom  I  did  not  mean  to  drive  you 
away.  I  want  you  with  me ;  but  it  is  no  longer  master 
and  slave,  it  is  henceforth  man  and  man." 

"Massa  Cunnell,  you's  made  me  berry  happy." 

"Enough;  and  now,  Lafe,  we  will  leave  in  a  short 
time  for  the  front. ' ' 

"Mo'  war?" 

"Yes,  and  plenty  of  it.  We  are  to  at  once  join  Lee 
who  is  on  his  way  North." 


106  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 


CHAPTEK    VHT. 

AT    GETTYSBURG. 

UP  from  the  invasion  of  Maryland  came  Lee's  expect- 
ant hosts.  The  cause  of  the  South  was  borne  on  a  flood 
tide,  the  battle-scarred  hills  and  valleys  of  Maryland 
pulsed  beneath  the  onward  march  of  the  invading  legions 
in  gray ;  the  imperious  Lee  was  about  to  fling  back  into 
the  very  heart  of  the  North  the  same  measure  of  war's 
suffering  which  had  been  meted  out  to  the  bleeding 
South. 

"Let  the  invaders  of  our  fair  land  feel,  too,  the  suffering 
wrought  by  the  iron  heel  of  war  and  consequent  pillage ! 

"Let  us  load  our  war  trains  from  the  fruitful  valleys 
of  the  enemy! 

"Let  the  North  learn  some  of  the  lessons  which  hava 
been  taught  us! 

"A  successful  invasion,  and  the  rights  of  the  South 
will  be  recognized!" 

So  thought  the  leading  minds  of  the  South;  and 
toward  the  North  was  hurried  the  army  of  the  Con- 
federacy. 

The  flower  of  the  Southern  army  was  there — the  men 
who  had  withstood  the  shock  of  battle  on  innumerable 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  107 

occasions  since  their  baptism  of  blood  at  Bull  Run. 
Inspired  by  previous  successes  and  encouraged  by  the 
numerous  additions  which  he  was  constantly  receiving 
to  his  army,  the  military  chieftain  of  the  South  believed 
that  a  systematic  Invasion  of  Northern  soil  would  not 
only  strengthen  the  Confederacy  at  home,  but  bring  to 
its  support  many  In  the  North  as  well.  It  was  to  be  the 
grandest  triumpnai  march  yet  recorded  in  the  annals  of 
war.  For  wnere  could  men  be  found — men  who  could 
halt  the  matcniess  army  of  the  South  under  Lee,  Long- 
street,  Pickett,  Stuart,  Hill,  and  hosts  of  others  who'had 
won  immortal  lame  as  American  soldiers?  On  through 
the  mountain  passes  meeting  with  but  little  resistance, 
swept  the  glittering:  army  of  invasion.  The  soil  of  Penn- 
sylvania was  reacned  and  passed.  The  eyes  of  Hooker 
were  on  the  invaders,  and  their  intention  was  quickly 
divined.  A  reiusal  on  the  part  of  General  Halleck  to 
permit  him  to  augment  his  army  with  the  ten  thousand 
troops  quartered  at  the  place  where  John  Brown  first 
attempted  the  invasion  of  Virginia  caused  Hooker  to 
resign,  and  tne  man  wlio  was  to  measure  lances  with  Lee 
was  appointed!  in  his  place.  General  Meade  at  once 
intended  to  give  tne  venturesome  Lee  battle.  It  was 
destined  that  tne  contending  armies  should  meet  in  the 
decisive  battle  of  the  war  at  the  old,  sleepy  hamlet  of 
Gettysburg.  In  the  army  of  Lee  were  men  from  Hamp- 
ton's Legion — Imboden's  Virginians — the  Louisiana 
Tigers — Jeb  Stuart's  men,  all  gathering  for  the  titanic 
struggle  before  tnena.  Down  the  dusty  turnpikes  cam* 


108  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

the  war-worn  troopers — rattling  up  for  the  South. 
Urged  on  by  cursing  drivers  came  the  endless  lines  of 
artillery  which  was  soon  to  vomit  forth  its  death  to  the 
blue  hills  which  formed  a  natural  rampart  back  of 
Gettysburg.  There,  gleaming  like  a  star,  was  the  white 
horse  of  Ashby.  On  they  came,  the  bronzed  cohorts  of 
war  with  all  its  brilliant  panoply.  On  past  the  frowning 
wall  of  old  South  Mountain,  and  through  the  peaceful 
sunlit  fields  about  the  quaint  old  town,  where  soon  the 
crimson  tide  of  battle  was  to  ebb  and  flow.  The 
affrighted  citizens  quickly  sought  places  of  safety  as  the 
ominous  clouds  of  war  drew  nearer  and  grew  darker. 
The  lurid  flashes  were  omens  of  the  awful  storm  which 
was  soon  to  burst  upon  them  in  all  the  awe-inspiring 
splendor  of  battle.  It  was  the  eve  of  Gettysburg ! 

Colonel  Breton  had  swept  up  from  the  south  with 
Stuart's  men.  Their  onward  march  had  been  triumphal, 
and  with  faces  lighted  with  hope  they  entered  Pennsyl- 
vania. Victory  seemed  about  to  perch  upon  the  banners 
of  the  South,  and  Dixie  rang  with  praises  of  its  military 
chieftain — praises  which  were  soon  to  be  turned  to 
curses.  The  massing  of  the  Federal  troops  near  Gettys- 
burg could  only  be  construed  in  one  way — that  Meade 
intended  here  to  dispute  the  right  of  Lee  to  invade  the 
North.  If  Lee  took  up  the  gage  it  meant  that  a  battle 
must  be  fought — a  battle  that  should  be  the  mightiest  of 
the  war  and  of  the  age,  almost,  because  upon  the  result 
of  that  battle  hung  the  future  of  the  Confederacy.  The 
harvest  lay  thick  in  swaths  where  it  had  fallen  the  pre- 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  109 

vious  day,  but  as  the  rays  of  the  morning  sun  lighted  up 
the  scene  and  transformed  the  glistening  dew  into  liquid 
gems,  no  harvesters  were  there  to  complete  their  peace- 
ful task,  already  half-performed.  In  the  place  of  the 
husbandmen  of  peace  stood  the  great  reapers  of  war,  and 
their  harvest  was  to  be  plentiful,  and  well -garnered. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  July  1,  1863,  Hill's  corps 
advanced  over  the  dusty  Chambersburg  turnpike  toward 
Gettysburg,  which  soon  was  to  be  lifted  out  of  the  ob- 
livion of  the  past  and  become  the  future  Mecca  of  the 
American  soldier.  The  preparations  for  the  coming 
mighty  struggle  went  steadily  on.  Brigade  on  brigade, 
division  on  division  swept  by  with  measured  tread,  with 
the  stars  and  bars  waving  proudly  over  them.  The  dull 
booming  of  cannon,  the  sharp  rattle  of  musketry  told  in 
war's  language  to  the  affrighted  citizens  that  the  battle 
had  begun.  Steadily  on  moved  Heth's  division,  meet- 
ing the  skirmish  lines  of  the  Union  army  and  forcing 
them  to  retire  before  it.  General  Keynolds,  watching 
the  first  of  the  battle  fringe  as  it  rolled  toward  him, 
quickly  hurled  forward  the  famous  "Iron  Brigade"  to 
check  the  onward  roll  of  the  rebellious  wave.  But  with 
irresistible  force  the  Southerners  pushed  back  the  sturdy 
veterans,  who  retired,  carrying  with  them  the  body  of 
their  late  leader. 

Form  and  re-form  as  they  would  the  Federals  were 
driven  back  beyond  the  old  town,  and  the  victorious  Con- 
federates bivouacked  that  night  on  the  ground  they  had 
won.  The  second  day  the  fighting  was  continued  with 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

unremitting  vigor.  Colonel  Breton  was  in  some  heavr 
engagements  on  the  enemy's  flank.  He  had  seen,  dur- 
ing a  temporary  lulL-  the  "Louisiana  Tigers"  cliaxae 
up  Cemetery  Hill  two  thousand  strong,  returning  less 
than  three  hundred,  His  soldier's  heart  was  aflame*  and 
he  longed  to  be  in  such  a  charge.  For  life  ne  cared 
nothing,  and  such  a  death  seemed  to  him  the  triumphal 
end  of  a  soldier's  career.  The  second  day's  battle  resulted 
as  a  whole  in  a  victors  for  the  army  of  Lee.  The  gallant 
onslaught  of  Lontfstreet  had  swept  back  the  Union  Hues 
still  further,  and  he  would  have  broken  through  Meade's 
line  of  battle  had  it  not  been  for  the  timely  arrival  of  the 
gallant  Sedgewick*  whose  men  had  panted  full  manv  a 
weary  mile  that  day  to  reach  the  point  where  the  battle 
was  raging.  Hour  after  hour,  while  the  hot  July  sun 
poured  down  upon  them,  the  two  armies  met  in  the  shock 
of  battle. 

Fearful  was  the  slaughter,  and  when  the  shades 
of  night  closed  down  over  the  gory  field  tne  stream 
that  ran  throuah  the  forest  glen  was  red  with  the 
blood  of  a  disunited  people.  The  fighting  had  been 
continuous  and  both  armies  were  fatigued.  The  leaders 
knew  full  well  that  the  morrow  would  be  tne  decisive 
day,  and  all  the  men  who  were  closely  associated  with 
Lee  knew  that  the  fate  of  the  Confederacy  nung  trem- 
bling in  the  balance — that  with  Gettysburg  lost,  it  would 
indeed  be  with  them  a  lost  cause.  All  that  dark  and  gloomv 
night,  from  Seminary  Ridge  to  the  gun-crowned  heiahts 
of  Little  Bound  Top,  beat  many  anxious  hearts  under 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  Ill 

coats  of  gray  and  of  blue.  What  was  the  secret  which  the 
morrow  would  reveal  ?  Would  Lee  retire  shattered  and 
broken  to  recuperate  amid  the  mountain  fastnesses  of 
Virginia ;  or  would  he  pierce  through  the  lines  of  Meade, 
and  press  on  to  the  great  cities  of  Pennsylvania? 

Both  armies  had  been  fearfully  weakened,  and  the  two 
days'  fighting  closed  with  the  cause  of  the  South  in  the 
ascendency.  The  Union  lines  had  fallen  back  to  the 
hills  beyond  the  town,  where  they  further  added  to 
natural  defenses  by  throwing  up  earthworks. 

General  Meade  had  fully  determined  not  to  retreat 
further,  but  fight  the  battle  to  the  end  where  his  lines 
bivouacked  on  that  fateful  night  of  July  2 — 

And  let  God  decide! 

Armand  Breton  learned  through  his  brother  officers 
that  night  that  the  Southern  chieftain  had  resolved  to 
storm  the  enemy's  center  on  the  following  day,  provided 
they  could  not  carry  the  wings  and  put  Meade 's  army  to 
flight.  He  learned  that  Pickett's  division  would  lead 
the  charge.  He  became  actuated  by  a  strong  desire  to 
be  with  Pickett  on  that  charge.  Having  a  personal 
acquaintance  with  General  Longstreet,  he  decided  upon 
his  course.  Riding  over  to  that  general's  headquarters  he 
obtained  an  audience  with  him.  General  Longstreet  was 
busily  engaged  in  opening  dispatches,  sending  out  cou- 
riers, and  at  the  same  time  carrying  on  a  broken  conver- 
sation with  some  members  of  his  staff  who  sat  about 
him.  He  looked  up,  and  while  reading  over  a  dispatch 
just  handed  him  said: 


112  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

"Well,  Colonel  Breton,  what  is  it?" 

Breton  saluted,  and  replied  : 

"General  Longstreet,  I  have  come  to  ask  a  special 
favor " 

"Yes,  and  that  is " 

"That  I  may  be  assigned  to  General  Pickett's  division 
to-morrow." 

"A  transfer,  eh?  Why  do  you  wish  this,  and  in  what 
capacity  do  you  wish  to  serve?" 

"Because  I  believe  that  I  can  serve  the  South  better. 
In  the  matter  of  assignment  I  should  be  only  too  willing 
to  accept  any  vacancy  which  may  be  open  of  a  lower 
grade  than  my  present." 

"Spoken  like  a  soldier — a  temporary  assignment?" 

"Yes,  general." 

Longstreet  smiled  grimly  as  he  said : 

"Your  request  is  an  unusual  one;  you,  a  colonel  of 
cavalry,  wish  a  transfer  to  a  lower  rank  in  order — well, 
no  matter — two  days'  hard  fighting  in  the  saddle  have 
not  quenched  your  desire  for  more  fighting — this  for 
which  you  ask  may;  and,  alas,  I  fear  that  many  lives 
will  go  out  in  that  charge  if  it  is  ordered.  You,  colonel, 
come  to  me  with  a  strange  request.  We  will  need  brave 
men  to-morrow  in  that  division.  I  will  grant  your  wish, " 
and  hastily  writing  a  few  lines  to  General  Pickett,  ask- 
ing him  to  assign  Colonel  Breton  to  his  command,  Long- 
street  courteously  bade  Breton  good-night.  Then,  after 
he  had  passed  out,  he  turned  to  his  officers  and  said 
slowly:  "There  is  a  brave  man;  he  asks  to  go  to-morrow 


THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  113 

to  what  is  almost  certain  death,  if  Lee  orders  the  charge 
to  break  the  center." 

Breton  lost  no  time  in  repairing  to  the  presence  of  the 
gallant  Pickett,  who,  after  he  had  glanced  at  the  com- 
munication said : 

"I  cannot  appoint  you  to  a  position  above  a  captaincy. 
I  have  a  most  valiant  fellow,  a  Louisianian,  who  is  very 
ill.  I  can  appoint  you  to  his  company  and  in  Armstead's 
brigade. ' ' 

"I  thank  you,  general;  I  accept  with  pleasure  the 
assignment;  and  did  you  mean  to  imply  that  the  com- 
pany also  were  from  Louisiana?" 

"Yes,  from  New  Orleans." 

"I  also  enlisted  from  that  city,  and  it  gives  me  renewed 
pleasure  to  be  with  my  former  townsmen  again. ' ' 

"Well,  I  am  sure  that  an  officer  who  voluntarily  asks 
for  such  a  position  as  you  have,  will  give  a  good  account 
of  himself. ' ' 

"Your  words  are  complimentary,  General  Pickett, 
and  I  trust  that  they  will  be  deserved,"  and  with  this 
the  young  officer  retired. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  troops  stood  to  their 
arms,  while  the  crashing  volleys  all  along  the  miles 
of  battle  line  foretold  another  day  of  struggle  and 
slaughter.  Braver  men  never  met  upon  a  battlefield. 
Lee  hurled  forward  his  battalions,  but  only  to  have 
them  beaten  back  shattered  and  bleeding.  The  Union 
wings  were  both  tried,  but  it  seemed  as  if  Meade's 
lines  had  become  a  wall  of  adamant  against  which  the 


114  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

heaviest  surges  broke,  but  could  not  overtop  or  weaken 
them.  Baffled  in  his  designs  to  break  the  wings,  Lee 
had  reserved  for  the  last  the  move  upon  the  center. 
Before  the  grand  charge  the  artillery  duel  was  opened, 
and  then  there  followed  the  most  terrific  cannonade  ever 
witnessed  on  this  continent.  For  hours  the  hills  trem- 
bled beneath  the  recoil  from  three  hundred  cannon.  The 
great  artillery  duel  lasted  until  nearly  four  o'clock.  The 
one  hundred  and  fifty  guns  had  been  replied  to  by  an 
almost  equal  number  from  the  long  Union  lines  which 
extended  from  Little  Eound  Top  to  CemeteryHill,  where 
the  tombstones  were  shivered  to  fragments  and  the  earth 
was  scattered  in  showers  over  the  graves.  The  earth 
seemed  to  shake  beneath  that  awful  cannonade,  while 
gun  answered  gun,  and  the  whizzing  shells  went  shriek- 
ing through  the  air.  Men  were  torn  limb  from  limb ; 
their  groans,  added  to  the  wild  neighing  of  disemboweled 
horses,  exploding  caissons,  fierce  oaths  and  imprecations, 
hurled  at  man  and  beast,  while  the  two  armies  were 
wrapped  in  the  murky,  sulphurous  clouds,  made  the  scene 
one  beyond  the  power  of  human  description.  The  time 
drew  nigh  for  the  march  of  Pickett's  division  on  the 
enemy's  center.  The  available  ammunition  of  both 
armies  was  somewhat  depleted,  and  occasionally  there 
were  short  lulls  in  the  artillery  storm.  The  hour  for  the 
charge  arrived,  and  still  there  was  no  move.  Evidently 
there  was  some  unlooked-for  delay — some  reasons  why 
the  orders  given  by  Lee  to  Longstreet  were  not  carried 
put.  Staff  officers  dashed  hither  and  thither  carrying 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  115 

messages  from  different  points  on  the  field.  Longstreet 
had  disagreed  with  Lee  as  to  the  charge.  To  him  it 
seemed  a  useless  sacrifice  of  brave  men  to  hurl  Pickett's 
splendid  army  across  that  great  open  space,  exposed  to 
the  withering  fire  from  the  Union  line.  While  he  hesi- 
tated about  giving  the  order,  the  chief  of  artillery  sent 
him  word  that  his  stock  of  ammunition  was  now  very 
low,  and  that  unless  Pickett  moved  at  once  he  could  not 
properly  support  him. 

Chafing  under  the  terrible  nervous  strain  to  which  he 
was  subjected  by  the  delay,  Pickett  himself  dashed  up 
to  Longstreet's  headquarters  and  asked  with  courtly 
grace: 

"General,  has  not  the  time  arrived  for  my  advance?" 

Knowing  full  well  that  the  order  meant  the  awful 
slaughter  and  perhaps  annihilation  of  his  gallant  men, 
Longstreet  groaned  inwardly  and  never  replied. 

Again  the  knightly  Pickett,  who  was  as  carefully 
attired  as  if  on  dress  parade,  repeated  the  question. 

Somehow  his  commander  could  not  reply.  His  lips 
refused  to  frame  the  words.  He  bowed  and  turned  silent- 
ly away.  Lifting  his  hat,  in  which  waved  a  beautiful 
plume,  Pickett  said  in  a  voice  strong  with  determination : 

"Sir,  I  shall  lead  my  division  forward." 

Remounting  he  rode  rapidly  away,  and  soon  under- 
neath the  heavy  sulphurous  clouds  were  steadily  form- 
ing the  long  silent  lines  of  gray.  There  was  for  a 
moment  a  cessation  in  the  death-dealing  storm  before 
them.  Every  man  in  that  immortal  division  knew  that 


116  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

the  pause  was  made  in  order  to  gain  fresh  strength  for 
the  coming  struggle.  They  moved  out  from  the  clouds 
which  seemed  to  hang  over  them  like  a  pall.  As  they 
passed  into  the  clearer  sunlight  no  man  could  have  gazed 
upon  that  division  without  being  thrilled  with  admira- 
tion. Save  for  the  dark  clouds  of  war  on  flank  and  rear 
their  march  might  have  been  made  on  a  gala-day  parade 
— those  well-formed  ranks  of  veterans ;  but  upon  their 
resolute  faces  rested  no  holiday  expression — there  was  a 
firm  look — the  lines  were  tightly  drawn — they  meant  to 
do  or  die. 

The  fate  of  the  Confederacy  was  at  stake. 

With  stately  tread,  bayonets  glinting,  and  battle  flags 
waving  over  them,  they  were  marched  on.  The  lull  was 
broken  and  the  death  struggle  commenced.  Then  the 
Federal  artillerists  reopened  their  fire  with  deadly  effect. 
Grape,  canister,  and  hissing  shells  mowed  enormous 
swaths  in  their  ranks,  as  they  moved  in  perfect  lines 
across  the  open  wheatfields,  where  the  harvester  of  peace 
had  been  supplanted  by  another  reaper  who  cut  down  a 
human  harvest  and  left  it  behind  in  ghastly  winrows. 
Steadily  on  they  kept  marching,  closing  in  the  breaches 
made  by  the  enemy's  fire.  Half  across  the  field  they 
halted,  re-formed  their  lines  and  obliqued  to  the  enemy's 
center.  A  thrill  of  admiration  swept  through  the  heart 
of  every  soldier  as  he  gazed  upon  the  magnificent  spec- 
tacle— that  undying  lesson  of  American  valor.  In  close 
and  thinning  lines  and  with  rhythmic  tread  they  advanced, 
obeying  every  command  with  such  perfect  precision  that 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  117 

they  were  in  truth  a  perfectly  organized  human  machine. 
With  telling  effect  the  well-directed  missiles  were  hurled 
from  the  iron-throated  cannon  before  them.  Men 
dropped  from  the  ranks  in  scores ;  the  ground  behind 
them  was  blood-flecked  and  dotted  with  the  lifeless  forms 
of  their  comrades.  The  survivors  moved  steadily  on. 
A  half-wheel  to  the  right  makes  a  clump  of  trees,  near 
which  is  Gushing 's  battery,  their  objective  point.  The 
gallant  Southerners  advanced  in  well-closed  ranks  and 
with  elastic  step.  At  this  time  they  were  almost  enfiladed 
by  the  fire  which  blazed  from  Little  Round  Top  and 
Cemetery  Hill.  A  few  minutes  more,  and  that  band  who 
won  deathless  glory  are  near  the  Union  lines.  Will  they 
win?  Nothing  seems  to  halt  them.  But  from  behind 
the  stone  walls  the  Federal  infantry,  which  had  been 
converging  at  that  point,  pour  in  upon  them  thousands 
of  shots.  At  that  close  range  every  crack  of  a  musket 
means  the  death  or  disablement  of  a  man.  Behind,  the 
field  is  dotted  with  forms  in  gray,  with  no  support  from 
the  Confederate  army — before,  they  face  a  rapidly  aug- 
menting army  of  Federals,  artillery  and  infantry,  who 
are  gathering  to  crush  them.  Flesh  and  blood  cannot 
stand  against  that  iron  hail.  How  rapidly  they  melt 
away!  Still  the  survivors  keep  on  toward  the  clump  of 
trees.  Now,  for  the  first  time,  they  run,  and  with  a  wild 
yell,  that  rebel  yell,  they  dash  on.  The  first  line  disap- 
pears like  a  wreath  of  mist ;  the  wall  is  reached,  and  a 
cheer  goes  up  as  they  clamber  over,  force  back  the  gath- 


118  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

ering  Union  lines,  and  break  through  them.  A  little 
beyond  at  his  battery  stands  the  gallant  Gushing. 

"Give  them  one  more  shot,  boys,"  he  shouts,  as  a 
second  after  he  stoops  to  sight  a  gun.  It  is  the  last 
word  of  command  he  ever  utters,  for  the  next  instant 
he  is  stretched  lifeless  beside  his  guns.  Over  the  wall 
leaps  that  fearless  warrior  Armistead ;  close  beside  him 
is  Breton,  followed  by  the  remnant  of  his  gallant  Louisi- 
anians.  They  are  but  a  handful  of  brave  men.  The 
Union  lines  are  passed  and  within  are  waving  the  rebel 
banners. 

"We  have  won,"  said  Armistead,  turning  to  Breton,  as 
he  dashed  in  advance  of  his  men,  waving  his  gleaming 
blade  aloft. 

Toward  that  gory  spot  are  hastening  reinforcements 
from  all  along  the  Federal  lines.  It  was  then  that  Armi- 
stead, looking  behind,  saw  that  he  was  not  supported. 
In  his  soldier's  heart  he  knew  that  the  triumph  would 
be  but  momentary,  but  he  would  die  like  a  soldier,  fight- 
ing for  the  position  that  he  had  won. 

"With  the  cry  upon  his  lips,  "Give  them  the  cold  steel, 
boys,"  he  pressed  on  to  the  high- water  mark  of  the 
rebellion.  Sword  in  hand,  his  face  toward  the  foe,  he 
fell  upon  the  highest  point  ever  reached  by  Southern 
troops.  There,  upon  the  crest  of  the  wave,  for  one  brief 
moment  floated  the  stars  and  bars.  The  high-water  mark 
was  reached  and  the  human  wave  receded.  Backward, 
hemmed  in,  lost,  shot  at  from  front  and  flank,  stubbornly 
fell  the  remnant  of  Pickett's  immortal  division — men 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  119 

whose  names  are  forever  inscribed  on  fame's  undying 
scroll — men  whose  deeds  shall  ever  be  sung  in  tales  of 
doing  and  daring. 

But,  alas,  as  at  Balaklava,  some  one  had  blundered. 

Borne  back  on  the  receding  tide  was  Armand  Breton. 
He  was  hatless,  bleeding  from  bullet  wounds  and  bayonet 
thrusts,  his  face  was  blackened  and  blood-stained.  He 
had  been  with  Pickett  and  had  lived.  When  they 
reached  their  own  lines  Breton  saw  Lee,  on  whose  face 
was  depicted  inexpressible  grief,  ride  up  and  say,  in 
mournful  tones: 

"It  was  all  my  fault.  Let  us  get  together  and  do  the 
best  we  can." 

What  human  power  can  portray  the  feelings  of  the 
Southern  chieftain  as  he  rode  that  night  back  through 
the  mountain  passes,  his  soul  tortured  with  bitter  reflec- 
tions, while  his  ears  were  filled  with  the  groans — the 
sighs — the  curses  of  the  wounded,  as  they  were  roughly 
jostled  in  that  passage  over  the  rude  mountain  roads? 

Could  he  not  then  have  seen,  religious  man  that  he 
was,  the  workings  of  a  higher  power  in  his  own  defeat, 
and  could  he  not  have  peered  into  the  shadowy  portals 
of  the  future  and  discerned  the  field  of  Appomattox? 


120  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 


CHAPTEE    IX. 

\ 

THE   HAUNTED   HOUSE. 

WHILE  the  slopes  of  Gettysburg  were  reddening  with 
human  blood,  two  men  in  far-away  Mississippi  sat  under 
the  shade  of  a  spreading  oak.  Their  talk  was  earnest. 
They  were  arranging  the  terms  of  the  capitulation  of 
that  Western  stronghold  of  the  Confederacy — Vicksburg. 
One — short,  bronzed,  determined,  was  puffing  slowly  at  a 
half-consumed  cigar.  His  beard,  close  clipped,  revealed 
a  firm  mouth,  with  a  set  expression.  He  was  clad  in  the 
undress  uniform  of  a  private  soldier,  his  shoulder  straps 
alone  indicating  his  exalted  rank.  The  other  was  attired 
in  faultless  gray,  which  showed  to  advantage  a  splendid 
physique.  A  magnificent  dress  sword  hung  by  his  side. 
They  had  been  classmates  at  West  Point.  They  were 
Grant  and  Pemberton — victor  and  vanquished. 

The  surrender  of  Vicksburg  and  the  defeat  of  Lee  at 
Gettysburg  were  flashed  over  the  wires  to  the  anxious 
North,  and  caused  an  unusual  exultation  on  the  nation's 
holiday.  The  nation  seemed  reborn  on  that  Fourth  of  July 
after  Gettysburg  and  Vicksburg  had  been  heard  from. 
Little  thought  Lee,  who  had  retired  with  his  shattered 
and  broken  army  to  his  native  Virginia,  that  the  young, 
untried  lieutenant  whom  he,  the  proud  Lee,  had  met 


THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  121 

when  he  was  chief  of  staff  in  the  Mexican  war,  would  be 
the  one  to  whom  he  would  finally  surrender  the  army  of 
Northern  Virginia.  Strange,  indeed,  are  the  workings 
of  fate.  The  bashful,  retiring  man,  who  never  talked, 
but  worked  his  way  into  recognition,  was  destined  to  lead 
to  victory  the  largest  armies  ever  gathered  on  this  con- 
tinent. One  by  one  the  Northern  generals  had  demon- 
strated their  unfitness  to  command.  They  may  have  been 
political  soldiers,  but  military  tacticians,  soldiers  in  all 
that  the  word  implies,  never.  Time  and  time  again  they 
had  encountered  the  rapier  of  Lee  only  to  retire  before 
his  quick  thrusts.  The  great  Lincoln  saw  in  this  man — 
this  silent  soldier,  Grant — the  very  quality  which  he 
had  long  sought  for  in  his  generals.  The  inactivity  of 
McClellan  had  retarded  Northern  success.  In  Grant  the 
quality  of  determination,  of  adhesiveness,  dominated. 
Such  qualities  must  put  an  end  to  the  great  civil  conflict 
between  the  States,  reasoned  the  president,  and  the  per- 
sistent soldier,  whom  he  had  never  met,  was  summoned  to 
Washington,  where  he  was  invested  with  supreme  control 
of  the  Union  armies.  How  well  the  president  judged  is 
history.  When  Grant  assumed  command  the  Confeder- 
acy was  a  vast  military  camp.  From  the  Potomac  to 
the  Eio  Grande,  for  thousands  of  miles,  arose  the  smoke 
from  camp  fires,  where  lay  a  sullen  but  not  a  beaten  peo- 
ple. To  end  the  war  required  heavy,  unceasing  blows 
with  no  pause  to  allow  the  South  to  recuperate.  Soon 
the  whole  country  began  to  realize  the  grandeur  of  the 
designs  of  Grant;  the  war  must  end  and  quickly. 


122  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

There  should  be  no  isolated  battle,  but  steady  unrelent- 
ing blows,  dealt  by  the  greatest  war  machine  that  the 
world  had  ever  known.  True,  it  meant  terrible  slaughter. 
But  what  war  but  slaughter?  It  must  end — no  matter 
the  costl 

The  Wilderness!  Ah,  what  thoughts  those  two  words 
inspire.  It  was  in  that  mournful  and  desolate — almost 
impenetrable — thicket  that  two  hundred  thousand  men  in 
blue  and  gray  met  in  the  awful  struggle  of  death. 

Armand  Breton  was  still  with  Lee.  He  had  fully 
recovered  from  his  wounds  received  at  Gettysburg,  and 
had  distinguished  himself  on  several  occasions  since  that 
memorable  charge  with  Pickett's  immortal  heroes.  For 
him  the  horrible  art  of  war  had  become  a  pastime ;  its 
awful  fascination  charmed  him.  For  the  time  all  his 
past  seemed  blotted  out.  Forgotten  was  Lucille — Lloyd 
Phillips — all  seemed  swallowed  up,  had  vanished  in  war's 
yawning  crater.  He  had  become  personally  acquainted 
with  the  commander-in-chief,  who  had  more  than  once 
personally  complimented  him  for  his  bravery.  His 
education,  his  engineering  skill,  and  the  military  dash 
which  he  inherited  from  a  fighting  ancestor,  all  combined 
toward  bringing  him  into  stronger  prominence.  His 
superiors  had  grown  to  look  upon  him  as  a  true  and 
valiant  officer  who  could  be  relied  upon  in  trying 
emergencies.  In  the  desperate  struggle  which  was 
fought  in  the  shadowy  depths  of  an  almost  impenetrable 
swamp,  where  the  weird  cry  of  the  whip-poor-will  com- 
ing from  the  tufts  of  stunted  oaks  was  suddenly  drowned 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  123 

by  the  fierce  rattle  of  musketry,  as  the  gloomy  shadows 
were  lighted  by  war's  flame,  there,  also,  Colonel  Breton 
won  further  distinction. 

In  that  vast  jungle  the  Cavalier  Lee  and  the  Puritan 
Grant,  with  all  the  best  qualities  of  the  blood  from 
which  they  sprang,  were  engaged  in  their  first  titanic 
wrestle.  About  that  battle  is  a  horrible  attraction — 
it  is  like  a  maelstrom — it  sucks  in  whole  regiments. 
There  is  no  pomp  of  war,  no  brilliant  banners  proudly 
fluttering,  no  firm  and  stately  tread  of  marching  bat- 
talions as  they  wheel  into  line.  The  paths  are  blocked 
with  men,  and  in  miry  pools  dead  and  wounded  are 
trodden  out  of  sight.  Still  the  roar  of  battle  goes  on. 
The  covering  of  the  thickets  and  the  absence  of  artillery 
make  it  an  awful  struggle,  the  lines  almost  touching  as 
they  reel  to  and  fro.  The  dead  and  wounded  are  lying 
everywhere.  Through  the  gloom  are  issuing  groans — 
curses — cheers.  The  Wilderness — no  battlefield  in  the 
world  bears  a  more  appropriate  name. 

Time  rolled  on,  and  amid  the  mighty  movements, 
gigantic  battles,  and  fearful  slaughter  which  shook  and 
crimsoned  the  earth  between  Washington  and  Richmond, 
came  the  echoes  of  the  victorious  shouts  of  Sherman's 
troopers,  who  were  hewing  their  way  to  the  sea.  The 
country  was  beginning  to  awaken  to  the  fact  that  the 
actions  of  Grant  were  characterized  by  no  such  apathy  as 
had  been  prominent  in  his  predecessors.  The  simul- 
taneous movement  of  the  Federal  forces  in  all  parts  was 
calculated  to  shake  the  tottering  Confederacy  until  its 


124  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

pillars  should  crumble ;  and  until  the  structure  toppled 
the  carnival  of  death  must  continue. 

Honor  and  obstinate  resolve  must  conquer.  Grant 
possessed  those  qualities ;  and  more,  he  had  a  powerful 
government  behind  him. 

One  night  Colonel  Breton  sat  in  his  tent  chatting  with 
his  brother  officers;  some  were  despondent  over  the 
future  of  the  Confederacy.  Lieutenant  Peyton,  now 
captain,  said: 

"It  seems  to  me,  colonel,  that  Grant  is  going  to  wear 
us  out.  He  is  pounding  us  to  pieces  at  many  points, 
and  it  is  only  a  question  of  time  when  we  will  be  forced 
to  surrender." 

"And  I,  Peyton,  disagree  with  you,"  said  Breton; 
"you  see  in  the  North  there  is  already  a  tremendous 
element  which  favors  us ;  rest  assured  they  will  help  us 
to  win  our  independence.  In  the  great  city  of  New 
York  the  men  not  only  sullenly  refused  to  enlist,  but  it 
became  absolutely  necessary  to  dispatch  soldiers  there 
from  the  front  in  order  to  suppress  riots  occasioned  by 
the  drafting  of  men.  They  tried  to  force  them  to  fight 
us  by  the  draft  act,  and  now  they  have  to  fight  them  into 
line.  What  does  such  a  condition  of  affairs  mean,  you 
may  ask.  I  will  answer  by  saying  that  there  are  in  the 
North  a  large  number  who  recognize  the  injustice  of  try- 
ing to  coerce  us.  Now,  when  Grant  has  to  fight  in  the 
rear  as  well  as  in  front  he  has  a  hard  task,  has  he  not?" 

"Why,  yes,  I  will  admit  that,  surely,  but  my  opinion 
is  that  this  draft  rioting  of  which  we  hear  in  the  North- 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  125 

era  cities  springs  principally  from  the  rough  element 
which  congregate  in  all  great  cities,  and  is  lawless  by 
instinct.  If  those  men  who  profess  to  be  such  friends 
of  the  South  would  support  our  cause  either  by  their 
swords  or  by  their  pocketbooks  I  should  think  their 
interest  in  the  success  of  the  Confederacy  more  sincere. 
They  know  that  we  need  men,  and  that  we  need  money 
more.  See  where  the  paper  money  of  our  country  has 
gone  to ;  why,  the  other  day  in  Richmond  it  just  took  a 
bale  of  the  stuff  to  pay  for  a  lunch  we  had  at  Ford's. 
To  tell  you  the  truth,  Breton,  I  have  been  reduced  to 
such  an  extent  that  I  haven't  been  able  to  dress  decently. 
Look  at  those  boots,"  and  Captain  Peyton  ruefully 
moved  into  prominence  a  pair  of  boots  from  which  half- 
protruded  a  pair  of  unstockinged  feet. 

"Say,  Peyton,  old  man,  I  can  help  you  out,"  and 
Breton's  hand  sought  an  inner  pocket,  from  which  he 
produced  a  leathern  packet.  After  looking  through  it 
he  said  in  a  disappointed  tone : 

"No,  I  am  frank  to  say  that  as  far  as  gold  goes  I 
haven't  a  piece  left.  In  that  respect  I  am  in  about  the 
same  position  as  yourself. ' ' 

"And,"  broke  in  a  listening  officer,  "that  is  just  about 
where  we  are  all  drifting.  We  are  getting  all  used  up 
at  home  as  far  as  resources  go,  while  abroad  our  credit 
is  crippled  more  than  ever.  Again,  with  Sherman's 
bummers  laying  waste  the  rich  valleys  of  Georgia, 
whence  we  have  drawn  the  rations  for  our  armies,  and 
Sheridan  burning  and  pillaging  everything  in  the  Shenan- 


J26  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

doah  Valley,  it  will  soon  begin  to  be  a  game  of  starve 
out." 

"I  cannot  agree  with  you,"  said  Breton.  "I  have 
faith  in  the  Confederacy,  I  have  faith  in  the  ability  of 
General  Lee.  He  is  the  greatest  military  tactician  of 
the  age.  The  old  lion  will  never  be  beaten  by  this  man 
Grant,  whose  sole  genius,  I  think,  lies  in  his  ability  to 
hurl  masses  of  men  against  us. ' ' 

"True,  colonel,  but  is  a  lion  not  oftentimes  brought  to 
bay?" 

"Why,  yes,  but  I  cannot  believe  that  such  will  be  the 
case  with  General  Lee." 

"Have  you  ever  traveled  in  the  North?  Do  you  know 
of  its  tremendous  resources?"  asked  Captain  Peyton. 

"Not  extensively." 

"Never  West?" 

"No." 

"Well,  an  old  friend  of  mine,  of  the  Seventh  Virginia, 
was  for  a  long  time  in  a  prison  near  Chicago.  He  was 
exchanged  a  short  time  ago,  and  I  saw  him  in  Richmond. 
He  said:  'I  tell  you,  Peyton,  our  cause  is  hopeless. 
Why,  the  people  up  there  don't  seem  to  know  that  a  war 
is  going  on  in  this  country.  Their  towns  are  growing 
rapidly ;  their  factories  are  filled  and  are  busy ;  and  their 
agricultural  products  seem  almost  limitless.  There  is  a 
screw  loose  somewhere ;  our  leaders  should  have  known 
better  than  to  have  gone  to  war  with  such  a  country. ' 
He  seemed  bitter  against  our  leaders  and  was  ready  to 
take  his  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States. " 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  127 

"He  should  have  remained  there.  The  South  has  no 
room  for  such  renegades, ' '  said  Breton  hotly. 

Just  then  there  was  a  slight  commotion  outside  the 
tent,  and  Lafe,  who  had  followed  Breton  through  all  of 
his  wanderings,  came  forward  and  said : 

"Massa  Cunnell,  de's  a  boy  outside  from  old  Massa 
Pierre,  an'  he's  'structed  to  see  you,  su'." 

Colonel  Breton  started  up,  exclaiming  quickly,  "From 
uncle !  That  is  my  old  home,  gentlemen,  and  the  mes- 
senger is  from  my  dear  old  uncle.  Show  him  in, 
Lafe." 

Presently  a  coal-black  negro  came  in.  Breton  looked 
at  him  sharply.  "Your  name  is  Eph,  is  it  not?"  he 
asked. 

"Yes,  Marse  Arman',  an'  I's  come  from  de  ole  marse. 
He  done  tole  me  to  bring  you  this,"  and  the  negro 
quickly  took  off  his  jacket,  ripped  up  a  seam  in  the  back, 
and  removed  a  packet,  which  he  handed  to  the  officer ; 
then  he  took  from  his  person  a  belt,  which,  as  he  laid  it 
upon  the  table,  gave  forth  a  heavy  metallic  sound,  "and 
dis  yer,  too." 

"Very  well,  Eph;  when  did  you  leave  the  stone 
house,  and  how  did  you  leave  Uncle  Pierre?" 

"Lef  last  night,  and  Marse  Pierre  he  am  berry 
sick." 

"You  may  go  now;  remain  with  Lafe  until  I  send  for 
you." 

"Suah,  Marse  Arman'." 

Colonel  Breton,  while  the  others  were  chatting,  said : 


128  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

"Pardon  me,  gentlemen,  if  I  read." 
Hastily  tearing  open  the  letter  he  ran  down  the  page. 
It  was  \nritten  in  French. 


"ABMAND,  MY  SON:  I  have  not  heard  from  you  directly 
for  a  long  time,  although  I  have  learned  from  outside 
sources  that  you  have  been  highly  complimented  on  many 
occasions  by  your  superiors.  I  had  hoped  to  hear  before 
being  mustered  out  that  you  had  won  the  rank  to  which 
I  am  sure  your  abilities  entitle  you.  Nevertheless,  I 
know  that  recognition  must  come.  Your  lineage  entitles 
you  to  command.  It  would  be  the  sweetest  sound  that 
could  come  to  me,  that  you  were  called  General  Breton. 
I  could  then  die  happy.  It  will  be  only  a  short  time 
longer  that  I  shall  be  here.  Send  me  greeting  by  the 
man  whom  I  send.  Eph  is  honest.  We  have  only  a  few 
niggers  left ;  the  rascals  have  nearly  all  gone.  I  know 
that  you  must  need  money,  and  that  is  my  principal 
reason  for  dispatching  Eph.  The  paper  money  of  the 
South  is  almost  worthless  and  you  must  have  gold  to 
support  your  rank.  There  is  plenty  more  in  the  hiding- 
place  I  named  to  you.  How  does  the  cause  of  the  South 
appear  to  you,  Armand  ?  Write  me,  I  can  learn  the  true 
state  of  affairs  from  you.  Trusting  that  Eph  may  return 
with  good  news  to  cheer  me,  UNCLE  PIERRE." 


After  reading  the  letter  Breton  mused  a  moment,  then 
he  hastily  penned  a  few  lines  to  the  commanding  general. 
Calling  Lafe  he  instructed  him  to  deliver  it  at  once  and 
await  a  reply.  After  this  he  said  to  his  brother  officers, 
"I  have  applied  for  a  leave  of  absence  for  a  few  days; 


THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  129 

not  more,  as  I  expect  some  fighting  from  your  great 
Yankee  general,  Peyton." 

Captain  Peyton,  who  had  been  chatting  with  the  others 
present,  replied: 

"Well,  colonel,  I  am  frank  to  say  that  I  think  that 
General  Grant  will  continue  to  hammer  us  until  either 
we  are  starved  out  or  get  outside  help.  I  am  despondent 
over  the  present  outlook  for  the  Confederacy.  You  are 
asking  for  a  leave.  I  suppose  your  letter  contained 
important  news." 

"Yes,  my  old  uncle,  who  has  been  a  second  father  to 
me,  lies  at  the  point  of  death.  I  have  a  belief  that 
unless  I  can  see  him  now  I  shall  never  behold  him  again, 
and  I  know  how  much  comfort  it  will  be  to  him,  and  it 
will  give  me  much  gratification  as  well." 

"And  is  the  trip  far?  Will  you  be  able  to  obtain  the 
furlough  at  this  time?" 

"I  should  be  able  by  hard  riding  to  accomplish  it  in 
twenty  hours.  I  could  return  here  by  Wednesday 
night.  I  should  not  ask  the  furlough  at  this  time,  only 
I  know  that  we  are  to  remain  here  for  some  time  longer. " 

After  the  officers  had  chatted  some  little  time  Lafe 
returned,  bearing  in  his  hand  a  message  which  he  handed 
to  the  colonel. 

After  reading  it  Breton  gave  a  half-sigh  of  relief,  and 
said: 

"I  thought  the  general  would  grant  my  request,  but 
still  was  a  little  dubious ;  something  seems  to  tell  me  that 
much  depends  upon  my  taking  this  trip, Lafe,"  he  added, 


130  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

turning  to  the  man,  who  stood  respectfully  by  waiting 
orders;  "have  my  horse  here  in  ten  minutes;  tell  Eph  to 
remain  here  awhile  and  follow  on ;  you  will  go  with  me ; 
we  are  in  for  a  hard  ride;  we  will  visit  the  old  stone 
house. ' ' 

The  face  of  Lafe  lighted  with  joy  as  he  said:  "To 
ole  stone  house  an'  see  Massa  Pierre?  I's  have  de 
bosses  right  heah. ' '  With  this  he  whisked  out  of  the 
tent  with  more  agility  than  he  had  displayed  for  many  a 
day. 

Breton  arose,  drew  on  his  long  boots,  buckled  on  his 
sword,  and  said  laughingly:  "My  request  was  granted 
readily,  and  in  just  the  briefest  words  possible." 

"The  old  man  never  wasted  a  word  yet." 

Said  one,  "But  anything  peculiar  about  your  reply?" 

"Kead  it,"  replied  Breton,  "and  tell  me  what  you 
think  of  the  time  he  names ;  means  more  than  is  stated 
therein." 

The  officer  read  aloud :  '"Bequest  granted;  must  re- 
port for  duty  Wednesday,  ten  P.M.'  Why,  do  you  think 
he  means  to  move  up  the  valley,  or  that  he  plans  a  little 
move  on  the  enemy  at  that  time?" 

"Now,  worse  than  a  Yankee,  you  reply  to  my  question 
by  asking  of  me  not  one  but  two  questions ;  at  any  rate, 
gentlemen,  I  shall  see  you  Wednesday  night  sure." 

"Hosses  am  here,  cunnell,"  said  Lafe,  appearing  in 
the  door  of  the  tent. 

"All  right;  good-night,  gentlemen,"  and  touching  his 
hat,  Breton  passed  out.  Lafe  had  placed  the  pistols  in 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  131 

their  holsters,  and  it  was  hardly  necessary  for  Breton  to 
glance  over  the  equipments  to  see  that  he  had  planned 
for  a  long  ride.  Passing  the  little  skirt  of  pine  trees 
outside  the  camp  they  pressed  rapidly  on. 

"We  must  make  good  time  to-night,"  said  Breton. 
"This  country  is  filled  with  spies  and  detachments  from 
the  Federal  army,  and  in  daylight  we  cannot  perhaps 
make  such  speed." 

The  roads  were  well  known  to  Lafe,  so  there  was  no 
delay  on  that  score.  When  morning  dawned  they  were 
well  on  their  way  toward  the  old  home  of  Breton.  The 
following  day  they  were  more  or  less  delayed  by  the  fact 
that  once  or  twice  they  came  close  upon  small  bodies  of 
the  Union  troops.  When  the  shades  of  night  began  to  fall 
over  the  mountains  Breton  said  in  a  disappointed  tone : 

"Lafe,  we  have  not  passed  Kutgers'  yet.  How  near 
are  we?" 

"Why,  you  see,  cunnell,  we  cum  by  a  different  road 
than  we  follered  last  time  we's  up  to  see  Massa  Pierre." 
Lafe  knew  that  they  had  lost  much  time,  but  he  wished 
to  withhold  the  fact  from  Colonel  Breton  that  a  hard  task 
lay  before  them  to  reach  Stone  House  and  return  within 
the  time  which  had  been  granted  them.  Provided  that 
they  met  with  no  further  interruption  or  delay,  the  time 
which  they  could  pass  at  Stone  House  would  be  short. 
Breton,  although  he  was  unfamiliar  with  the  road,  seemed 
to  know  instinctively  that  a  hard  task  lay  before  them  in 
the  accomplishment  of  his  errand.  For  a  long  time  he 
rode  on  in  silence.  The  gloom  of  the  night  deepened 


132  THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

and  soon  became  intense.  Fate  seemed  against  the 
travelers,  for  Lafe  suddenly  slowed  down  his  horse,  and 
with  a  half-uttered  oath  Breton  turned  back  and  asked 
the  cause  of  his  delay. 

"I's  a  little  mixed,  cunnell." 

"A  little  mixed?  Do  you  not  know  the  country? 
Are  the  roads  not  familiar  to  you?" 

"I's  never  seen  a  blacker  night,  cunnell." 

There  was  gloom  and  some  anger  in  Breton's  voice  as 
he  replied : 

"Suppose  it  is  black.  Have  there  not  been  other  black 
nights?  What  are  you  halting  for?  Come  on,  do  you 
hear?" 

"I's  heah,  suah,  Massa  Cunnell,  but  I'spo'ful  mixed," 
and  a  silence  fell  between  them  that  was  as  lugubrious 
as  the  grave. 

"Lafe,  tell  me  what  you  mean  by  not  obeying  my 
orders?  Have  you  lost  your  way?" 

"I's  obey  orders;  but,  cunnell,  I's  mixed  an'  no  mis- 
take; ober  yonder  somewhere,"  and  Lafe  swung  out  his 
left  hand,  "is  de  battle  ground  of  Rutgers';  near  heah 
am  two  roads;  one  goes  down  to  de  ole  Co'thouse  an' 
the  oder  goes  ober  de  mountains  to  the  stone  house, 
and  it  'pears  to  me's  'f  we's  off  on  de  Rutgers'  road." 

"How  can  you  tell?" 

"De's  on  the  Rutgers'  road  an  ole  house,  kep'  by  an 
old  nigger  woman,  an'  de  do  say  she  deals  wid  de  debbil, 
an'  dat  de  house  am  haunted." 

"Deals  with  the  devil  and  haunted — fiddlesticks!  where 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  133 

is  the  house?  How  soon  shall  we  know  if  we  are]  on 
the  wrong  road?" 

"De  house  am  right  by  de  road;  de  do*  opens  right 
on  de  road,  cunnell. " 

"Well,  come  on,  and  in  ten  minutes  more  we  can  tell 
just  how  matters  stand,"  said  Breton,  as  he  dashed  down 
the  road,  while  Lafe  was  careful  to  keep  in  the  rear. 
They  turned  a  sharp  angle  in  the  road,  and  for  an  instant 
they  could  distinguish  objects  fairly  well. 

"De  house!  We  are  on  the  wrong  road,"  exclaimed 
Lafe. 

Before  them  could  be  discerned  the  outlines  of  a  build- 
ing— a  large,  gloomy  object;  no  glimmer  of  light  could 
be  seen ;  the  horsemen  had  halted  directly  in  front.  For 
an  instant  neither  spoke.  Their  eyes  seemed  riveted  by 
some  strange  fascination  on  the  ghostly  outlines  of  the 
structure.  Then  suddenly  the  intense  darkness  closed 
down  upon  them.  It  was  inky ;  it  was  like  a  pall. 

While  the  men  were  impelled  by  some  occult  force  to 
gaze  toward  the  building  which  was  screened  from  them, 
the  door  opened  and  a  flood  of  light  poured  out.  Lafe 
gave  a  yell.  All  the  pent-up  superstition  of  his  race 
seemed  concentrated  in  that  yell.  In  the  doorway,  out- 
lined with  awful  distinctness  by  a  brilliant  light  beyond, 
stood  an  old,  withered  black  hag.  Her  skin  was  shriveled 
and  parchment-like.  Her  form  was  bent  and  shrunken, 
and  her  eye  seemed  to  blaze  with  an  unearthly  light ; 
but  behind  her,  towering  over  her,  stood  the  form  of  a 
man  on  whose  features  both  men  gazed  with  a  feeling 


134  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

akin  to  horror.  To  the  face  of  that  man  their  gaze  was 
drawn  as  by  a  powerful  magnet.  It  was  the  face  of  the 
man  whom  Breton  had  last  seen  upturned  upon  the  field 
of  Rutgers',  the  man  whose  blood  had  reddened  his, 
hands,  and  whose  death  ^had  kept  ^him  from  the  woman 
he  loved — it  was  the  face  of  Lloyd  Phillips.  The  door 
flew  to  with  a  sudden  clang,  and  the  travelers  were  again 
enveloped  in  inky  darkness.  For  a  moment  neither 
spoke ;  then,  with  teeth  still  chattering  Laf e  murmured : 
"She  do  deals  in  debbils.  For  the  love  of  Gawd,  Massa 
Cunnell,  le's  get  back  on  the  oder  road." 

"Devil  or  woman,  this  night's  mystery  shall  be  ex- 
plained ;  we  have  been  drawn  here ;  it  is  not  chance,  and 
now  for  the  solution  of  this  strange  occurrence,"  said 
Breton,  as  he  slipped  from  his  horse.  "Remain  here 
until  I  return." 

"Yo's  goin'  in  that  house,  cunnell?" 

"Certainly;  did  you  not  see  the  features  of  a  man 
behind  that  old  hag?" 

"As  suah  as  I  see  you  now" — Lafe  could  not  see  two 
inches  before  him.  "An'  I  see  him  last  at  the  battle  of 
Rutgers',  when  I  fired  my  pistol  at  him  when  he's  just 
gettin'  ready  to  run  his  sword  through  you." 

The  last  part  of  the  sentence  was  lost  upon  the  officer, 
whose  mind  was  busily  occupied  trying  to  solve  the 
meaning  of  the  strange  apparition  which  he  had  just 
seen. 

"Without  another  word  he  strode  toward  the  house,  and 
soon  succeeded  in  locating  the  door,  upon  which  he 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  135 

knocked  loudly.  No  response  came  from  within.  He 
repeated  the  knock,  and  still  no  sound  to  indicate  the 
presence  of  inmates.  Without  further  ado  Breton  placed 
his  shoulder  against  the  door  and  hurled  his  weight 
against  it.  The  rotten  fastenings  gave  way  with  a  snap, 
and  the  door  fell  open  with  a  suddenness  which  precipi- 
tated the  intruder  half  across  the  room.  Recovering 
himself,  a  strange  sight  met  his  gaze.  The  room  was 
well  lighted  by  a  huge  blazing  log  which  half-filled  a 
cavernous  fireplace.  Before  this  stood  the  old  black  hag, 
who  glared  at  the  bold  intruder  as  if  her  very  looks  would 
annihilate  him.  It  was  a  moment  or  two  before  Breton 
had  recovered  his  equilibrium  and  had  become  accus- 
tomed to  the  light,  which  came  in  brilliant  flickerings 
from  the  resinous  old  log.  Gazing  about  him  he  saw  no 
signs  of  the  apparition  which  had  appeared  in  the  door- 
way. Noticing  an  old  skin  which  half-screened  a  corner 
of  the  room,  he  strode  toward  it  and  swept  it  aside.  Be- 
fore him  stood  the  figure  of  a  man ;  his  covering  was  half 
rags,  his  features  haggard  and  cheeks  unshaven.  Not- 
withstanding the  woebegone  appearance,  the  Confeder- 
ate doubted  no  longer  that  his  old  school  friend  stood 
before  him.  It  was  no  creation  of  a  disordered  or  imag- 
inative mind;  Lloyd  Phillips  stood  before  him  in  flesh 
and  blood.  With  both  hands  outstretched  Breton  rushed 
forward  with  the  words  on  his  lips : 

"Lloyd,  my  dear  chum,  alive  and  here!" 
No  response  from  the  man  before  him,  who  gazed  with 
expressionless  eyes  at  Breton,  who,  dropping  the  hands 


]36  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

which  he  had  pressed  effusively,  started  while  he  re- 
garded the  man  before  him  with  horror-stricken  eyes. 
Then  he  swept  his  hand  across  his  brow  as  he  muttered 
in  broken  tones : 

"My  God,  Lloyd,  this  is  worse  than  death." 
Turning  to  the  black  woman  he  began  questioning  her 
wildly.  To  his  incoherent  questions,  hurled  at  her  with 
almost  savage  fierceness,  the  old  woman  vouchsafed  hardly 
a  reply.  Becoming  more  rational  in  his  queries  he  at 
last  found  a  way  to  unlock  the  secret  which  lay  in  the 
woman's  heart.  He  drew  forth  the  purse  which  Eph 
had  brought  him,  and  extracted  from  it  a  few  pieces  of 
gold,  which  he  dropped  into  the  outstretched  palm  of  the 
old  hag.  Closing  her  claw-like  fingers  upon  the  yellow 
metal,  she  told  Breton  that  which  he  yearned  to  know. 
Her  story  was  told  in  a  broken  way,  and  all  the  while 
her  eyes  were  fastened  with  an  avaricious  glitter  upon 
the  pieces  of  precious  metal  clinched  in  her  hand. 

Her  story  was  this :  In  the  early  morning  after  the 
battle  of  Rutgers'  she  was  attracted  to  the  field.  Pre- 
sumably her  motive  was  plunder,  but  while  passing 
among  the  lifeless  bodies  she  was  startled  to  see  the 
form  of  a  Union  soldier  arise;  she  turned  to  flee,  and 
strangely  enough  the  figure  followed  her.  She  fled  to 
her  hut,  but  after  her  came  the  Union  soldier,  calling  her 
Aunt  Bess.  She  soon  found  that  he  was  harmless,  that 
he  was  like  a  child  with  her,  always  calling  her  Aunt 
Bess.  Beyond  murmuring  a  few  meaningless  sentences, 
this  was  the  extent  of  his  vocabulary.  She  soon  grew 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  137 

attached  as  much  as  was  possible  for  one  of  her  capabili- 
ties to  the  friendless,  insane  soldier  who  came  to  her 
from  the  battlefield.  They  had  lived  on  with  this  pecu- 
liar friendship  existing  between  them.  He  obeyed  her 
in  everything,  and  the  old  woman  had  grown  to  look 
upon  him  with  considerable  affection.  Every  one  else, 
even  the  negroes  from  the  neighboring  plantations,  had 
shunned  her  as  one  possessed  of  the  devil,  and  this  poor 
demented  man  had  been  her  only  associate.  He  had 
never  been  able  to  tell  more  of  himself,  nor  had  he  ever 
desired  to  leave  her. 

Breton  listened  to  the  tale  with  suppressed  excitement. 
When  she  had  finished  he  began  questioning  her. 

"Was  he  not  badly  wounded,  stabbed  in  the  breast?" 
he  asked. 

"He  was  berry  weak,  an'  after  awhile  I  done  up  his 
wounds.  He  was  stabbed  in  the  chest,  but  dat  was  not 
de  spot  where  his  trouble  cum  from." 

Amazed,  the  officer  said:  "Not  the  spot  where  the 
trouble  came  from?  WTiat  do  you  mean?"  He  had 
been  busily  revolving  in  his  mind  how  it  was  possible 
for  a  swordthrust  to  have  made  a  man  insane.  It  was 
all  so  sudden,  and  his  mind  not  in  a  condition  to  analyze 
fairly  the  cause  of  Lloyd  Phillips'  insanity.  A  great 
load  had  been  lifted  from  his  mind.  His  hands  were 
not  red  with  the  life  blood  of  his  old  friend.  He  started 
up  in  wild  excitement  as  the  old  hag  replied : 

"De  stab  wasn't  much, but  de  bullet  done  de  mischief. " 

"Bullet — what  bullet?"  he  gasped. 


13S  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

"Why,  on  de  top  of  his  head  was  a  long  mark  made  by 
a  bullet ;  one  day  I  follered  up  the  furrer  with  a  piece  of 
steel  wire,  an'  I  jes'  ran  right  inter  a  bullet,  an'  it  am 
dar  now." 

"A  bullet  lodged  in  his  brain!    Are  you  sure  of  this?" 

"Suah's  you  befo'  me  now." 

"And  no  effort  has  been  made  to  dislodge  it,  nothing 
beyond  your  probing?" 

"Nary  a  thing." 

A  flood  of  light  began  to  pour  upon  Breton.  Lloyd 
Phillips  was  before  him ;  he  had  not  even  been  seriously 
injured  by  his  swordthrust.  His  trouble  came  not  from 
that  source.  If  his  insanity  was  caused  by  a  pressure 
upon  the  brain  caused  by  the  presence  of  the  bullet,  it 
would  be  a  matter  of  simple  surgery  to  remove  it.  If  it 
were  worse,  even  a  bone  fracture,  then  trepanning  would 
bring  about  the  reseating  of  reason  on  its  throne.  Thus 
reasoned  Breton,  and  while  his  mind  was  busily  occupied 
in  finding  a  way  in  which  to  secure  a  speedy  return  to 
mental  health  for  his  unfortunate  friend,  he  had  not  once 
thought  how  his  own  future  happiness  might  be  affected 
by  this  discovery  of  one  whom  he  blamed  himself  for 
slaying. 

His  friend  must  be  at  once  removed  to  a  spot  where 
he  could  receive  expert  surgical  skill.  He  reasoned  that 
Richmond  was  perhaps  the  most  desirable  city  where  the 
patient  could  be  taken.  He  had  friends  there  who  would 
bestow  upon  Lloyd  Phillips  the  best  treatment  which  the 
modern  school  of  surgery  permitted.  He  thought  further 


THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  139 

that  he  would  write  a  letter  to  Nita  Calvert  telling  her 
all  about  the  awful  cloud  that  had  hung  over  him ;  of  his 
discovery  of  Lloyd ;  and  asking  her  for  his  sake  to  see  that 
the  poor  fellow  had  the  best  of  nursing. 

All  these  thoughts  came  surging  in  upon  his  mind  in 
rapid  succession.  The  sudden  joy  caused  by  finding 
alive  his  friend  whom  he  had  thought  that  he  had  slain 
had  driven  from  his  mind  all  thought  of  the  real  object 
of  his  trip  over  the  mountains.  He  paced  the  floor  for  a 
few  minutes,  deeply  meditating  as  to  what  immediate 
action  he  should  take.  He  then  strode  to  the  door,  flung 
it  open,  and  hastily  summoned  Laf e,  who  advanced  toward 
the  house  with  considerable  hesitation. 

"Come  inside;  I  can  talk  to  you  better  here  than  out 
there  in  the  darkness,"  said  Breton,  as  Lafe  stood  halt- 
ing on  the  threshold.  Lafe  entered,  but  glanced  around 
him  in  a  manner  which  betokened  that  he  wished  him- 
self well  out  of  the  old  hag's  habitation.  "And,"  con- 
tinued the  young  officer,  "I  have  found  a  dear  friend  of 
mine  here  whom  I  thought  dead  upon  the  field  of  Rut- 
gers'. He  is  ill,  very  ill,  and  stands  in  great  need  of 
expert  medical  treatment.  Until  he  receives  it  lie  can- 
not recognize  his  friends." 

Lafe  gazed  at  Breton  in  a  dazed  way  and  gasped : 

«• 

"He's  yo'  friend,  Massa  Cunnell?" 

And  Lafe  suspiciously  eyed  the  unfortunate  Phillips, 
who  stood  in  a  listless  manner  in  a  far  corner  of  the 
room. 

"Yes,  my  closest  friend,  or  was;  why  do  you  ask?" 


140  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

"I's  a  thinkin'. " 

"What?" 

"That  I's  po'ful  sorry  that  I  shot  him  if  he's  a  friend 
of  yours,  but  you  had  a  mighty  queer  way  of  showin' 
yo'  'feetion " 

"Sorry  that  you  shot  him!  Speak  out,  what  do  you 
mean?"  and  the  officer's  voice  trembled  with  suppressed 
excitement. 

"Beggin'  yo'  pardon,  Massa  Cunnell,  "dat's  jes'  what 
I's  goin'  to  do.  You  know  de  fight  we  had  ober  yon- 
der?" and  Lafe  tossed  his  head  toward  Kutgers'  Court 
House. 

"I  have  good  reason  to  recollect  it." 

"Well,  I's  a  sayin',  you's  mighty  mad  that  night,  a 
cuttin'  and  a  slashin',  and  I's  doin'  a  little  of  it  my- 
self. I's  behind  you  mos'  of  de  while,  but  one  time 
I  lagged  a  little,  I  was  fightin'  a  feller  who  'sputed  my 
path.  When  I  got  up  to  you  you  was  havin'  a  right 
hard  time  with  a  Yankee,  an'  I  had  my  pistol  in  my 
hand,  and,  Massa  Cunnell,  I  jes'  banged  away  at  him.  I 
didn't  spect  that  he  was  anybody  you  liked  from  your 
actions.  A  po'ful  strange  way  to  show  any  kind  of  nice 
feelin'  existin'  'tween  you.  He  was  try  in*  to  get  at 
you  and  you  was  slashin'  at  him;  jes'  as  I  shot  him  an' 
he  fell  from  his  saddle,  I  was  up  alongside  an'  a  second 
later  you  tumbled  over  an'  I  caught  you  as  you  fell.  I 
thought  that  I'd  come  just  too  late,  but  you  come  to 
after  awhile.  I  spec',  Massa  Cunnell,  you  was  a  think- 
in'  about  that  when  you  sent  me  out  to  look  over  the 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  141 

field.  I's  po'ful  sorry,  but  I's  a  thinkin'  then  that  I's 
doin*  yo'  a  good  turn " 

And  Lafe's  eyes  grew  suspiciously  moist  as  he  uttered 
the  last  words.  Breton  clasped  Lafe's  hand  as  he  said 
in  a  voice  heavy  with  emotion : 

"And  so  you  were,  Lafe.  Had  you  not  sent  that  bul- 
let perhaps  my  hands  would  have  been,  as  I  had  believed 
they  were  up  to  this  time,  red  with  the  blood  of  my 
beloved  friend.  Your  shot  saved  me  that,  and  your 
statement  to-night  has  now  explained  all  the  unhappy 
events  of  that  night,  and, ' '  continued  Breton,  in  a  half- 
aoliloquizing  way,  "it  has  cleared  the  red  mist  from  my 
brain.  It  has  lifted  from  my  mind  the  sorrow  of  having 
inflicted  upon  my  old  chum  the  wound  which  caused 
him  to  be  bereft  of  his  reason.  Thank  God!  I  now  can 
look  back  upon  that  night  without  a  shudder  and  with- 
out pain.  Ah,  now,  I  understand  it  was  not  chance  that 
brought  us  here  to-night.  We  were  impelled  by  that 
strange,  inexplicable  force,  which  is  all  about  us,  and 
controls  our  actions.  Some  call  it  fate.  We  did  not 
wish  to  come  this  way;  we  fought  against  it;  but  of 
what  did  our  own  weak  wills  avail  when  compared  with 
the  tremendous  forces  that  were  controlling  our  actions  ? 
We  were  passive,  Nature  even  veiled  her  face.  The 
shadows  of  the  night  were  black,  and  you,  who  have 
passed  your  entire  life  in  these  mountains  and  know 
every  bridle  path  by  night  as  well  as  by  day,  were 
unable  to  find  your  way.  A  dark  night,  truly,  but  it 
will  be  the  brightest  dawn  that  I  have  ever  known." 


142  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

"I's  mighty  joyful  to  hear  yo'  speak  like  that." 

"And,  Lafe,  I  myself  am  overjoyed  with  the  result  of 
this  night's  disclosures.  No  longer  am  I  weighed  down 
with  the  awful  remorse  that  comes  from  reddening  one's 
hands  with  the  life  blood  of  a  friend — of  a  brother.  Yes, 
the  curse  of  Cain  has  been  upon  me.  I  have  been  shad- 
owed with  the  memories  of  an  awful  crime,  memories 
which  time  could  not  dim,  nor  could  the  red  tide  of  war 
lessen  their  bitterness. ' ' 

For  a  few  minutes  the  officer  remained  silent,  while 
Lafe  stood  respectfully  by  without  once  daring  to 
intrude  upon  his  mental  reflections.  Breton  had  lapsed 
into  a  reverie.  The  past  came  back  before  him,  the  bril- 
liant period  when  he  mounted  to  the  heights  gilded  by 
the  rising  sun  which,  alas,  had  become  buried  in  the 
shade  of  night — love  and  joy  had  been  succeeded  by 
sorrow  and  pain ;  and  now  he  would  not  be  compelled  to 
drag  out  a  sorrowful  existence  saddened  by  futile  regrets. 
The  finding  of  Lloyd  Phillips  meant  for  him  the  begin- 
ning of  a  new  life.  A  look  of  ineffable  joy  stole  over  the 
features  of  the  young  officer,  as  he  thought  of  the  girl 
whom  he  loved  with  all  the  strength  of  his  mature  years. 

"Lucille,"  he  murmured,  "thank  God,  the  barriers 
are  at  last  swept  away. ' ' 

Like  the  faithful  hound,  Lafe  watched  his  master  in 
silence;  he  was  getting  visibly  nervous,  but  still  he 
refrained  from  interrupting  the  reverie  of  the  officer. 
Suddenly  Breton  wheeled  and  said  quickly : 

"Lafe,  you  must  go  to  Kichmond. " 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  143 

"Yes,  Massa  Cunnell." 

"At  once;  take  this  man  with  you.  I  will  write  a 
letter  to  the  lady  at  the  hospital  where  you  are  to  take 
him." 

"An'  will  we  go  to  Stone  House?" 

"I  will  proceed  there  alone;  you  need  not  delay  your 
departure  for  Richmond." 

"But,  Massa  Cunnell " 

"Well,  speak  out,  Lafe;  what  is  it?" 

"Why,  I's  a  thinkin'  that  it  is  pretty  nigh  impossible 
for  you  to  go  to  Stone  House  an'  get  back  to  camp,  time 
you  said  yo'  mus'  be  there,  suV 

Breton  glanced  anxiously  at  his  watch  as  he  replied : 

"But  I  must  go  there,  I  must  see  Uncle  Pierre. " 

Lafe  knew  the  roads  well,  and  he  knew  that  the  young 
officer  had  set  his  heart  upon  visiting  the  home  of  his 
boyhood,  but  the  delays  that  they  had  encountered  made 
it  impossible  for  them  to  traverse  the  mountains  and 
return  to  their  camp  by  the  expiration  of  the  furlough 
granted.  He  knew,  also,  that  Breton  would  make  any 
sacrifice  rather  than  be  absent  from  his  command  at  the 
time  set,  particularly  when  he  with  others  anticipated 
that  it  was  on  the  eve  of  an  important  engagement. 
Therefore  he  fully  realized  the  importance  of  convincing 
his  leader  of  the  impossibility  of  attempting  to  proceed 
to  Stone  House.  The  trip  if  carried  out  meant  the 
absence  of  Colonel  Breton  from  his  post  of  duty  as  a 
soldier  when  his  superior  officer  had  demanded  his  pres- 
ence. Lafe  knew  that  if  he  could  once  convince  Breton 


144  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

of  the  hopelessness  of  his  undertaking  that  he  would 
abandon  it,  as  first  of  all  Armand  Breton  considered  his 
duties  as  a  soldier.  With  the  night  still  dark,  the  paths 
uncertain  and  beset  with  difficulties,  it  would  be  fool- 
hardy to  attempt  the  trip. 

After  Laf e  had  made  this  clear  to  Breton  he  abandoned 
the  trip  to  the  stone  house,  but  not  without  sorrowful 
regret.  He  then  decided  to  send  Lafe  on  to  tell  Uncle 
Pierre  of  the  delay  and  how  it  had  rendered  impossible 
his  intended  visit.  Lafe  would  be  accompanied  by 
Lloyd  Phillips,  and  after  he  had  delivered  Armand's 
message  he  would  turn  back  upon  the  main  road,  taking 
a  short  route  to  Richmond,  where  he  would  leave  his 
charge  in  the  hospital  designated  by  Breton.  All  this 
was  gone  over  rapidly.  After  he  had  decided  upon  the 
course  which  he  deemed  wise,  the  Confederate  ordered 
Lafe  to  feed  the  horses  while  he  prepared  some  messages. 

First,  he  wrote  a  brief  letter  to  Uncle  Pierre  telling 
him  of  the  bitter  disappointment  he  suffered  in  not  being 
able  to  carry  out  the  trip  already  begun  to  Stone  House. 
A  soldier's  duty,  he  said,  compelled  him  to  retrace  his 
steps  in  order  to  respond  to  the  command  of  a  superior 
officer. 

Then  to  Lucille  he  addressed  a  message,  full  of  loving 
tenderness.  He  briefly  recounted  the  finding  of 
Lloyd ;  his  sad  mental  condition ;  the  fact  that  his  valet, 
Lafe,  had  fired  the  shot  which  had  caused  his  loss  of 
reason ;  and  the  further  fact  that  his  own  hands  were 
unstained  with  her  brother's  blood.  He  wrote  also  that 


THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  145 

he  had  sent  Lloyd,  under  the  guidance  of  Lafe,  to  Rich- 
mond, to  the  hospital  where  the  sympathetic  nursing  of 
Nita  Calvert,  aided  by  expert  medical  skill,  would  with- 
out doubt  speedily  restore  Lloyd  to  his  mental  health. 

Next  he  wrote  a  letter  to  Nita  Calvert,  telling  her  of 
his  discovery,  and  of  the  identity  of  the  man  whom  he 
sent  to  her.  The  note  to  Lucille  he  inclosed  to  her,  ask- 
ing that  she  forward  it,  if  Lucille  had  left  Richmond. 

By  the  time  he  had  finished  these  messages  the  candle 
furnished  by  the  old  hag  spluttered  low.  But  he 
managed  to  scrawl  a  line  to  an  eminent  surgeon,  a  per- 
sonal friend,  in  Richmond,  whom  he  asked  to  bring  to 
bear  his  skill  upon  Lloyd  Phillips'  case. 

That  part  of  his  duty  completed,  Breton  arose  and 
gave  the  old  hag  a  piece  or  two  more  of  the  gold  which 
had  been  sent  by  Uncle  Pierre. 

Shortly  after  Lafe  announced  that  the  horses  were  all 
ready.  The  darkness  of  the  night  had  lifted  somewhat, 
and  after  receiving  his  final  instructions  Lafe  swung 
into  his  saddle,  half-lifting  beside  him  the  slender  form 
of  Lloyd  Phillips. 

Breton  stood  beside  his  horse  a  few  minutes  in  silence. 
Then  he  repeated  half -aloud:  "Ah,  God,  what  sorrow  I 
have  endured !  After  suffering  an  inconsolable  grief  I 
now  cast  off  all  signs  of  mourning  and  open  my  heart 
anew  to  thoughts  of  love,  for  I  doubt  not  that  Lloyd's 
recovery  will  be  speedy.  But  perhaps  the  future  may 
be  as  deceptive  as  the  past.  It  may  be  that  I  am  re- 
served for  unforeseen  and  still  more  poignant  sufferings. 


146  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 


CHAPTER  X. 

APPOMATTOX. 

BRETON'S  ride  back  to  camp  was  uneventful,  and  thanks 
to  the  superb  steed  which  he  rode,  he  was  in  advance  of 
the  hour  which  marked  the  expiration  of  his  leave  of 
absence.  The  camp,  however,  was  aglow  with  excite- 
ment, and  Armand  knew  that  some  important  move  was 
decided  upon. 

Captain  Peyton  greeted  Breton  with  the  exclamation : 

"Well,  old  man,  it  is  not  fight  here;  we  are  to  with- 
draw." 

"Do  you  mean  retreat?"  exclaimed  Breton. 

"Perhaps  that  expresses  the  situation,  although  the 
orders,  as  I  understand,  are  to  move  up  the  valley  to  a 
strategic  position  of  more  importance  than  our  present. 
And  your  man,  did  you  leave  him?" 

"Sent  him  on  to  Richmond  on  an  important  mission. 
But  that  sounds  a  little  like  fighting, ' '  added  Breton,  as 
the  sharp  rattle  of  musketry  was  distinctly  heard  in  the 
forest  below  them. 

"Engaging  our  pickets.  The  great  Hammerer  seems 
pounding  us  at  all  points.  Our  provision  trains  are  on 
the  way  up;  hope  they  will  not  cut  them  off;  and  now," 
said  Peyton  smilingly,  "our  cavalry  will  have  to  go 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  147 

down  to  help  those  trains  up.  You  are  in  the  nick  of 
time,  Breton." 

So  it  proved;  Breton's  cavalry  was  ordered  down  the 
valley  to  assist  the  provision  train.  The  Union  general 
had  dispatched  a  force  to  capture  the  train  before  it  could 
reach  the  Confederate  lines.  Considerable  fighting 
ensued,  but  Breton  brought  the  much-needed  train  into 
Confederate  lines.  Then  as  the  Union  forces  had  become 
much  augmented,  the  Confederates  drew  off  across  the 
river,  destroying  the  bridge  after  them. 

For  months  the  devastating  war  continued.  Grant, 
the  great  Union  general,  followed  one  blow  by  another — 
blows  delivered  with  such  rapidity  that  the  Confederates 
were  afforded  no  opportunity  to  recuperate.  They 
fought  with  desperate  determination,  but  it  was  impossi- 
ble for  them  to  do  more  than  temporarily  evade  the  tre- 
mendous onslaught  made  upon  their  forces  at  all  points. 
It  was  not  an  isolated  battle  here  and  there,  but  a  steady 
pressure  upon  all  the  sources  and  resources  of  Confeder- 
ate strength. 

Breton  had  followed  the  waning  fortunes  of  Lee. 
Everywhere  the  mighty  army  of  Grant  surged  in  upon 
them  like  the  inrolling  tide  of  the  sea.  There  seemed 
indeed  little  rest  for  the  Confederates  at  the  hands  of 
Grant,  who  seemed  omnipresent. 

Breton  had  heard  from  Nita  Calvert  that  Lloyd  Phillips 
had  undergone  a  surgical  operation,  and  that  his  mind 
was  now  clear.  The  operation  made  necessary  his  reten- 
tion in  the  hospital  for  some  time. 


148  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

Not  a  word  came  from  Lucille,  but  his  nomadic  life 
made  it  impossible  for  him  to  receive  messages  with  any- 
thing approximating  regularity.  Whether  Lucille  had 
ever  received  his  message  he  knew  not.  Indeed,  he  had 
little  time  to  ponder  over  the  turn  his  own  affairs  had 
taken  since  the  finding  of  Lloyd  Phillips  at  the  haunted 
house.  His  duty  as  a  soldier  kept  him  ever  on  the  move, 
as  the  carnival  of  death  was  continued  by  the  tremen- 
dous strokes  of  Grant,  which  were  often  parried  by  the 
great  military  tactician  Lee. 

It  was  plain  to  all  that  the  Confederacy  was  tottering. 
Reinforcements  were  not  sent  to  the  front  to  make  good 
the  loss  made  by  the  terrific  blows  dealt  them. 

The  opening  of  1865  was  dark  and  gloomy  for  the  Con- 
federates. The  Union  armies  had  been  victorious  in  the 
West.  In  the  South  Sherman  had  hewed  his  way  to  the 
vitals  of  the  Confederacy ;  while  in  Virginia  the  victori- 
ous legions  of  Grant  were  pressing  in  upon  the  crumbling 
army  of  Lee. 

April  came,  and  still  over  the  sea  and  land  there  hov- 
ered the  cloud  of  fratricidal  war.  But  those  who  were 
behind  the  scenes  knew  that  the  curtain  was  about  to  be 
rung  down  upon  the  frightful  drama.  The  principal 
actors  knew  it.  The  lines  of  Grant  had  been  drawing 
closer,  and  the  men  who  opposed  him  knew  full  well  that 
the  Southern  cause  was  doomed. 

When  an  orderly  splashed  with  mud  strode  up  the 
aisle  of  the  church  in  Richmond  where  the  Southern 
president  sat,  and  handed  him  a  message  telling  him  that 


THE  SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  149 

Petersburg  had  fallen,  it  could  not  have  surprised  him, 
because  his  intelligence  must  have  told  him  that  nothing 
but  a  miracle  could  have  saved  it.  Petersburg  in  the 
hands  of  the  enemy  meant  that  Richmond  could  no 
longer  be  retained.  Soon  there  was  no  Southern  capital 
save  in  the  field ;  for  Richmond  was  evacuated,  and  the 
officers  of  the  Confederate  government — president,  secre- 
taries— were  fleeing  southward ;  while  westward,  north  of 
the  Appomattox  moved  the  shattered  army  of  Lee,  pursued 
by  the  invincible  Grant,  and  harassed  by  the  dashing 
cavalry  leader,  Sheridan. 

Hungry  and  footsore,  the  Southern  army  retreated 
toward  the  mountain  fastnesses  of  Virginia.  Close,  and 
ever  closer,  on  flank  and  rear,  hung  the  victorious  Fed- 
erals. Could  Lee  have  reached  his  provision  train  en 
route  to  the  mountains  he  might  have  been  able  through 
junction  with  Confederate  forces  south  to  have  thus  pro- 
longed the  war  indefinitely.  But  this  was  not  to  be. 

On  his  trail  thundered  the  Union  troops.  Day  and 
night  without  ceasing  the  roar  of  cannon,  the  rattle  of 
musketry,  and  the  clash  of  sabers  told  how  closely  the 
gallant  Southerners  were  pressed. 

What  need  to  enter  into  the  details  of  that  retreat  of 
Lee?  The  Confederates  had  reached  the  village  of 
Appomattox,  destined  after  that  to  be  known  to  fame  for 
all  time. 

On  all  sides  they  were  enveloped.  Infantry,  cavalry, 
and  artillery  ringed  them  about.  Grant  had  done  his 
work  well.  But  one  closing  act  remained  before  the 


150  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

awful  drama  ended.  Gordon,  the  gallant  Georgian, 
mounted  the  hill  at  Appomattox  Court  House  with  his 
skirmish  line.  Before  him  lay  the  Federals  blocking  the 
way.  It  was  then  that  Gordon,  with  whom  was  Breton, 
made  a  last  charge  for  the  Confederacy.  Before  their 
impetuous  charge  the  Union  lines  gave  way,  and  the 
dusky  gray  masses  swept  on.  Their  victory  was  short- 
lived, for  just  beyond  was  seen  the  splendid  cavalry  of 
Sheridan  opening  right  and  left  and  unmasking  the 
superb  artillery  of  the  Federal  army. 

There  was  a  momentary  lull — a  mysterious  silence — 
and  on  the  heights  of  Appomattox  there  fluttered  a  white 
flag — Grant  had  met  Lee,  and  the  drama  had  ended. 

Eight  or  wrong,  the  South  was  brave — was  she  not? 
She  risked  all — she  lost  all. 

After  partings  had  been  said,  after  the  men  who 
fought  side  by  side  for  years  had  gathered  around  their 
leader,  who  sat  on  his  white  steed  like  a  cavalier  of  old, 
and  their  bosoms  had  been  shaken  by  fierce  sobs,  they 
turned  sorrowfully  away  to  their  homes;  or  rather  to 
where  their  homes  had  been,  for,  alas!  the  desolated 
fields,  the  ruined  dwellings,  the  vacant  firesides,  told  in 
heart-rending  language  of  the  awful  scars  of  war  which 
the  Southland  bore  upon  her  beautiful  breast.  , 

And  all  this  in  defense  of  a  principle — of  a  belief. 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  151 


CHAPTER  XI. 

LUOILLE'S  LETTER. 

AFTEK  the  melting  away  of  the  army  in  gray  Breton 
turned  his  face  in  the  direction  of  the  home  of  his  boy- 
hood. 

He  was  anxious  to  see  Lafe,  whom  he  had  not  seen 
since  he  parted  with  him  at  the  haunted  house.  He  had 
instructed  him  to  return  to  Stone  House,  where  he  was  to 
remain  with  Uncle  Pierre.  This  Lafe  did,  and  since  the 
death  of  Uncle  Pierre,  which  occurred  shortly  after  Lafe 's 
return  from  Richmond,  where  he  left  Lloyd  Phillips,  he 
had  been  at  the  plantation. 

It  was  with  a  heart  overflowing  with  sorrow  that  the 
soldier  drew  near  to  the  home  of  his  youth.  He  marked 
the  old  pine  where  he  last  met  Uncle  Pierre. 

"Poor,  dear  uncle,"  he  thought,  "how  much  he  wished 
to  clear  up  the  mystery  of  my  birth."  Passing  on  he 
soon  drew  rein  in  front  of  the  old  house.  Its  gray  stone 
walls  made  the  place  almost  fortress-like  in  appearance. 
Besides,  it  had  such  a  deserted  look  it  made  the  home- 
coming of  Breton  far  from  a  pleasing  one. 

He  learned  from  one  of  the  negro  boys  playing  about 
the  "quarters"  that  Lafe  had  gone  to  town  and  was 


152  THE   SWORD  OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

expected  back  soon.  Breton  thought  he  might  as  well 
journey  on  and  meet  him  upon  his  return.  He  had  not 
far  to  go  before  he  met  Lafe  on  his  way  back. 

"Suah,  Massa  Cunnell,  I'se  po'ful  glad  to  see  you,  "said 
Lafe,  as  he  greeted  the  officer. 

"And,  Lafe,"  replied  Armand,  "I  am  glad  to  see  you 
again.  I  have  been  at  the  death  of  the  Southern  Confed- 
eracy since  we  parted  Our  cause  is  lost.  But  that  is 
past  now.  How  go  affairs  at  Stone  House?" 

"Well,  you  see,  Massa  Cunnell,  inos'  de  niggers,  de  run 
away;  but  plenty  stay  to  work  de  ole  plantation.  De 
say  their  home  is  here  and  here  de  mean  to  stay." 

"And  so  they  shall,  and  we  will  do  as  well  by  them  as 
we  can.  Poor  Uncle  Pierre !  the  first  time  that  I  ever 
came  to  Stone  House  and  did  not  find  him  here  to  greet 
me, ' '  said  Breton,  as  they  drew  rein  in  front  of  the  old 
house. 

"Massa  Pierre  he  am  laid  away  over  yonder,"  and 
Lafe  pointed  to  a  little  plot  on  the  hillside  where  stood 
a  gleaming  white  shaft  that  marked  the  last  resting- 
place  of  Armand' s  parents. 

"I's  been  to  town,  and  here's  some  mail  for  you," 
said  Lafe,  as  they  walked  toward  the  door. 

"There  can  be  nothing  of  importance,"  replied 
Armand,  as  he  took  the  pouch  which  contained  the  mail. 
He  directed  his  steps  to  the  library.  He  laid  aside 
sword  and  pistol,  and  after  he  had  hung  them  on  the  wall 
he  surveyed  them. 

"Fought  and  bled  in  vain, "  he  said.    "Now  that  peace 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  153 

has  spread  her  wings  over  this  land  we  may  as  well  beat 
our  swords  into  pruning  hooks. ' '  Carelessly  he  emptied 
the  contents  of  the  mail  pouch  upon  the  table  before  him. 
A  bundle  of  papers  and  a  package  of  letters  tied  together 
fell  out.  He  scanned  the  addresses  with  no  apparent 
concern.  He  felt  that  none  of  the  envelopes  contained 
anything  of  interest  to  him.  "Hello, "  he  said,  as  his  eye 
caught  a  letter  addressed  to  himself.  "A  letter  bearing 
a  foreign  postmark  addressed  to  me.  Well,  as  I  live, 
from  my  old  friend  General  D'Arville."  Hastily  tearing 
open  the  letter,  the  handwriting  on  which  he  recognized, 
he  eagerly  read  its  contents.  It  was  written  after  the 
general  had  been  advised  of  Pierre  Breton's  death.  It 
was  full  of  warmth  and  tenderness  for  Breton  and  love 
for  his  departed  relative.  Before  closing  the  general 
wrote  that  when  the  civil  war  was  brought  to  a  close  he 
looked  forward  with  much  pleasure  to  welcoming  his 
former  protege  back  to  Paris,  which  city  he  believed 
would  become  his  abiding  place. 

"Dear  old  General  D'Arville,  a  magnificent  type  of  the 
soldier,  and  at  the  same  time  he  has  a  heart  as  tender  as 
a  woman's,"  soliloquized  the  officer,  as  he  ran  over  the 
addresses  on  the  remaining  envelopes. 

"Business  communication,  one  from  Uncle  Pierre's 
attorney — well,  it  can  hold ;  and — "  As  the  address  on  the 
last  remaining  envelope  met  his  gaze  his  head  swam ;  he 
stopped,  gazed  at  the  writing  while  he  murmured:  "At 
last,  Lucille,  at  last. ' '  The  handwriting  was  none  other 
than  Lucille 's. 


154  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMEDS. 

Breton  reverently  pressed  the  missive  to  his  lips,  then 
opened  and  read  it.  It  was  short,  but  nevertheless  after 
reading  it  a  flood  of  happy  sunshine  seemed  to  pour  in  at 
the  heavy  stone  window  casements,  and  the  dark  shadows 
of  the  room  were  illuminated.  The  whole  apartment 
seemed  radiant  with  happiness. 

Lucille  wrote : 

"My  OWN  DEAREST  ABMAND:  This  is  the  third  time  that 
I  have  written  you  since  you  sent  me  the  message  of 
Lloyd's  return  to  life,  and  not  one  word  from  you  in 
reply.  Can  it  be  that  you  have  been  wounded  and  even 
now  are  sick  unto  death?  If  so,  I  would  gladly  fly  to 
your  side  and  show  by  carefully  nursing  you  back  to  life 
and  strength  the  love  I  bear  for  you.  I  send  this  letter 
to  your  old  home,  as  I  am  sure  that  you  have  friends 
there  who  will  see  that  it  reaches  you.  If  you  are  ill  I 
will  come  to  you.  If  not,  Armand,  dear,  now  that  this 
cruel  war  is  nearly  over,  I  shall  look  for  a  Southern  inva- 
sion of  the  North  as  a  retaliation,  and  I  can  promise  that 
one  Yankee  girl  will  not  strive  by  word  or  action  to  drive 
back  the  invader.  Lovingly, 

"LUCILLE." 

"P. S.     Lloyd  is  almost  well. ' ' 

"And  I  can  swear  that  I  shall  now  carry  the  war  into 
the  enemy's  country,"  thought  Armand. 

The  rest  of  the  day  the  young  man  passed  in  going 
over  the  affairs  of  the  plantation  with  Lafe,  whom  he 
informed  that  he  should  leave  in  charge  at  Stone  House. 
The  day  following  the  message  of  Uncle  Pierre,  given 
under  the  shadow  of  the  old  pine,  occurred  to  him,  and 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  155 

he  told  Lafe  that  he  wished  him  to  assist  in  unearthing 
the  old  iron  box.  The  day  was  well  spent  when  the  two 
men  moved  aside  a  huge  flagstone  from  near  the  main 
entrance  to  Stone  House.  It  was  after  a  few  minutes  of 
hard  digging  that  Lafe's  spade  struck  a  hard  substance 
which  gave  back  a  metallic  sound. 

"The  box,"  said  Breton,  "precisely  as  Uncle  Pierre 
stated." 

It  required  only  a  few  minutes  to  uncover  it,  but  it 
took  the  united  strength  of  the  two  men  to  lift  it  from  its 
hiding-place  and  carry  it  to  the  library.  The  box  was 
long,  massive,  and  heavy.  After  he  had  unlocked  it  Bre- 
ton lifted  the  lid  with  a  heart  surcharged  with  nervous 
emotion.  Before  him  at  last  lay  the  secret  of  his  birth — 
of  his  father's  name.  The  young  man  called  for  lamps, 
which  were  speedily  brought  in.  In  one  corner  lay  a 
number  of  small  bags  which,  when  moved,  gave  out  a 
metallic  sound.  They  contained  the  coin  of  which  Uncle 
Pierre  had  spoken.  In  another  portion  of  the  box  was  a 
package;  lifting  it  up  Armand  read  the  following  in 
Uncle  Pierre's  handwriting:  "Valuables  to  be  opened 
only  after  Armand  Breton  has  read  his  father's  commu- 
nication." Then  he  found  another  package  addressed  in 
the  same  hand:  "Armand's  father  to  his  son:  to  be  read 
after  the  death  of  Pierre  Breton. ' ' 

"The  history  of  my  father's  life,"  said  Breton,  as  he 
tenderly  unfolded  the  package  after  breaking  the  seal 
placed  thereon  by  Pierre  Breton.  Underneath  lay  the 
package  wrapped  in  oiled  silk,  which  had  preserved  the 


156  THE   SWORD   OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

writing  from  atmospheric  effects.  Armand's  hands 
trembled,  and  his  eyes  blurred  as  he  opened  the  roll  of 
manuscript.  It  was  in  a  plain,  firm  hand,  and  the  clear- 
ness of  its  pages  was  unmarred  by  the  ravages  of  time. 

"Will  I  curse  the  hour  I  read  this?  Is  there  some 
frightful  family  skeleton  that  will  not  down  ?  Will  the 
mystery  haunt  the  life  of  the  son,  causing  him  to 
shun  the  haunts  of  men,  as  it  did  his  father?  Or  will 
there  be  for  me  a  new  happiness  in  life  from  this  hour  ? 
Will  there  be  a  pride  in  having  as  my  sire  an  illustrious 
man?  Am  I  heir  to  a  great  name?"  These  and  many 
other  thoughts  flitted  through  the  brain  of  Armand  Bre- 
ton as  he  flattened  out  with  religious  care  the  manuscript 
before  him. 

Opening  it  he  read  in  French. 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  157 


CHAPTER  XH. 

THE  VOICE  FBOM  THE  GRAVE. 

"ARMAND,  MY  DEARLY  BELOVED  SON:  Having  reached 
the  decline  of  life,  retired  from  its  struggle,  its  ambition, 
its  hopes,  I  am  like  the  traveler,  who,  on  the  summit  of  a 
hill,  slowly  and  laboriously  climbed,  can  cast  a  retrospec- 
tive glance  over  a  peaceful,  sunlit  landscape.  My  life  has 
been  tempestuous,  and  as  I  look  backward  I  can  see 
across  the  bounds  of  territory  traversed,  deserts  over 
which  are  strewn  the  wreckage  of  nations,  the  vain  ambi- 
tions of  men ;  and  even  unto  the  most  remote  horizons,  I 
can  see  hovering  the  lurid,  sulphurous  war  clouds. 

"I  have  lived  in  an  epoch  which  has  laid  bare  the  cor- 
ruptness and  insincerity  of  men  and  nations.  And, 
after  all,  what  are  nations  but  the  creations  of  men, 
piratical  oligarchies,  destitute  of  real  political  sentiment ! 
Divided  interests  and  warped  convictions  create  dissen- 
sion which  is  adhered  to  with  a  bitterness  and  intensity 
that  to  the  disinterested  is  beyond  comprehension.  Yes, 
my  son,  and  the  glass  for  me  has  run  at  times  darkly,  it 
has  been  roughly  shaken  and  the  sands  have  glowed. 

"Throughout  the  span  of  my  life  what  changes!  The 
armies  of  France  the  masters  of  all  Europe !  New  king- 


158  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

doms  created  and  old  ones  absorbed.  Great  European 
coalitions  with  but  little  centripetal  force ;  kings  swept 
from  their  thrones.  Is  it  possible  for  one  man  to  have 
compassed  more  than  I  in  the  short  space  of  life? 
Strange  things  the  whirligig  of  time  brings  forth.  To 
have  lived  with  the  modern  Csesar,  yea,  even  greater  than 
Caesar,  is  enough  glory  for  one  poor  mortal.  To  have 
been  with  and  followed  the  man  at  whose  beck  ancient 
kingdoms  and  dynasties  melted  away,  the  man  who  more 
than  any  other  demolished  the  structures  on  which  rested 
the  thrones  of  men  who  ruled  by  divine  right,  has  been 
my  fate.  He  mocked  their  divine  right  and  showed  that 
the  only  divinity  is  God ;  that  behind  any  ruler  must  rest 
the  battalions  of  that  Higher  Power.  The  greater  his 
conquests,  the  more  ridiculous  became  the  vain  preten- 
sions of  the  historic  rulers  whom  he  defeated. 

"I  can  refer  but  to  one  man,  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  the 
man  chosen  by  Deity  to  perform  prodigious  tasks  in 
behalf  of  mankind.  Ordained  by  God,  he  fulfilled  his 
mission  to  show  to  the  whole  world  that  next  to  God 
the  only  ruler  is  intellect;  that  no  man  is  empowered 
with  hereditary  rights  to  crush  his  fellow-man.  His 
imperious  presence  has  left  an  indelible  impress  for  all 
time  upon  the  world's  history.  He  was  above  all  others 
the  truest  friend  America  ever  had.  Against  the  wishes 
of  brother  and  advisers,  he  sold  to  America  that  kingly 
territory  which  created  her  a  rival  of  England.  I  can, 
looking  through  the  years,  predict  that  the  Yankee 
nation  will  learn  the  lesson  which  he  taught  Europe — 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  159 

freedom.  As  long  as  the  blight  of  human  slavery  casts 
its  stain  upon  this  land  just  so  long  this  country  will 
retain  the  shackles  which  he  removed  from  the  down- 
trodden, suffering  peasantry  of  Europe.  The  slavery  of 
kings  had  reduced  them  almost  to  serfdom.  Napoleon 
threw  off  the  shackles,  gave  them  learning,  gave  them 
art,  gave  them  science,  gave  France  the  best  laws  yet 
written.  Napoleon,  the  Imperator — it  is  of  him  and  my 
association  with  him  that  I  will  write. 

"I  will  pen  a  few  brief  pages  from  my  life's  history ; 
and  then,  my  son,  you  will  be  better  able  to  judge  if 
there  remains  a  stain  on  the  name  which  has  been  with- 
held from  you.  And  more,  I  will  tell  you  of  the  nobil- 
ity of  my  chief,  whose  glorious  name  jealous  traducera 
have  assailed. 

"When  I  was  a  young  soldier  the  mutterings  of  the 
revolution  pervaded  all  France.  Ah,  when  I  think  of 
those  days — the  days  of  my  youth — the  heart  of  a  soldier 
beats  again  strong  within  me.  The  dark  days,  just  before 
the  people  rose  in  a  disorganized  mass  and  toppled  the 
ancient  aristocracy  of  France  from  its  arrogant  position, 
come  back.  Lafayette,  broken-hearted  at  the  treatment 
which  he  received  from  his  army,  throughout  which  the 
seeds  of  discord  had  been  sown  and  were  bearing  fruit, 
was  forced  to  abandon  his  position,  in  which  he  had 
taken  such  pride.  And,  yes,  my  son,  I  must  say  it, 
Marquis  Lafayette,  whom  the  Americans  love  on  account 
of  his  patriotic  services  in  their  behalf,  was  forced  to 
flee  for  his  life  from  the  soldiers  of  France.  He  be- 


160  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMID!*. 

longed  to  the  titled  class — the  aristocracy— whom  the 
people  hated.  They  did  not  hate  Lafayette  because  he 
was  Lafayette,  but  because  he  was  a  marquis — a  noble — 
a  representative  of  that  class  whose  blood  flowed  in 
streams  through  the  gutters  ot  Paris  before  their  thirst 
was  to  be  satisfied;  they  had  to  be  glutted  with  the  gore 
of  the  nobles;  and  while  they  fespected  Lafayette,  the 
individual,  they  hated  Lafayette,  the  noble.  Their  ad- 
miration for  him  as  a  soldier  was  sufficient  for  awhile  to 
hold  them  in  check.  But  as  the  hot  words  of  the  repub- 
licans were  poured  into  their  ears  they  began  to  gather 
in  a  force  and  momentum  which  carried  everything 
before  them.  The  aid  of  Washington,  the  idol  of  the 
Americans,  was  compelled  by  the  terrible  exigencies  of 
the  occasion  to  lay  aside  his  sword  and  Ieav6  Paris 
incognito,  for  his  chateau.  The  storm  burst  with  greater 
fierceness  and  swept  the  kingdom  of  Louis  XVI.  out  of 
existence,  while  it  carried  him  to  the  scaffold. 

"France  then  was  ruled  by  the  people.  The  policy 
then  inaugurated  was  favorable  to  the  advancement  of 
those  of  plebeian  birth  to  positions  of  rank  in  the  army 
and  state.  Ah,  how  many  young  men  who  rose  to  high 
rank  under  the  empire  received  their  first  lessons  in  the 
art  of  war  in  those  bloody  days  which  preceded  th« 
execution  of  the  unfortunate  Louis ! 

"Foes  without!  foes  within!  It  has  been  the  unhappy 
lot  of  France  more  than  of  any  other  nation  to  be  thus 
assailed.  While  torn  with  internal  dissension,  the 
immemorial  enemies  of  our  country  were  hammering  at 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  161 

the  outposts.  The  hungry  eyes  of  the  soldiers  of  all 
Europe  were  cast  upon  our  fruitful  lands.  I  was  then  a 
young  man,  younger  perhaps  than  you  will  be  when  you 
peruse  these  lines.  I  had  been  educated  for  a  legal 
calling.  But  try  as  I  would,  I  could  not  keep  from  fill- 
ing my  mejnory  with  the  records  and  achievements  told 
me  by  my  father,  of 'the  seven  years'  war  in  which  he 
served.  How  he,  a  soldier  whose  whole  soul  throbbed  with 
love  for  the  knightly  deeds  of  valor  in  the  historic  past ; 
how  he,  himself  a  soldier  whose  brave  deeds  had  been 
told  me  over  and  over  again  by  his  old  comrades;  how 
he,  whose  blood  flowed  in  my  veins,  could  expect  or  even 
desire  that  his  son  should  follow  the  tame  profession  of 
law,  be  a  notary,  dressed  in  black,  I  never  could  com- 
prehend. Or  better,  yes,  I  think  that  it  could  be  traced 
to  a  yearning  on  the  part  of  my  dear  mother,  that  I 
should  be  of  the  calling  of  her  father,  who  was  a  barrister 
of  some  renown  at  Sarrelouis.  Moreover,  her  life  was 
made  unhappy  by  the  prolonged  absence  of  my  father 
when  engaged  in  the  wars  of  France. 

"She  was  constantly  reminding  me,  when  I  would 
tell  her  of  my  youthful  desire  to  don  the  uniform 
and  join  the  army  of  my  country,  that  promotion 
in  the  army  only  came  to  nobles,  and  then  by  favorit- 
ism. In  this,  too,  my  father  heartily  joined.  I 
recollect  on  many  occasions  I  have  heard  him  speak 
in  the  most  bitter  terms  of  the  rule  of  the  nobles.  He 
said  that  under  their  rule  only  men  belonging  to  their 
class  could  be  advanced  in  the  army — that  family  and 


162  THE  SWORD  OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

lineage  were  the  only  necessary  passports  to  higher 
places — that  valorous  deeds  among  the  so-called  plebeians 
counted  for  naught.  It  was  blood — lineage — family  that 
was  needed  to  reach  high  offices  in  the  army.  I  think 
that  condition  of  affairs  imbittered  my  father's  life — that 
is,  the  latter  part  of  it.  From  his  old  comrade  in  arms  I 
had  learned  that  he  had  won  distinction  on  several  occa- 
sions which  should  have  brought  him  at  least  a  modicum 
of  recognition  from  those  high  in  authority.  That 
reward  to  which  his  services  justly  entitled  him  never 
came.  Hence  I  should  say  that  perhaps  my  father's 
aversion  to  have  me  enter  the  army  sprang  directly 
from  his  own  experience,  which  was  laden  with  the  in- 
gratitude of  his  superiors. 

"Still,  all  the  bitterness  on  the  part  of  my  father,  and 
the  tearful  remonstrances  of  my  mother,  did  not  deter 
me  from  entering  the  army  before  my  twentieth  birth- 
day. I  had,  all  through  my  boyhood,  dreamed  that  I 
was  destined  to  achieve  military  renown.  These  boyish 
fantasies  filled  my  mind,  and  there  was  nothing  left 
for  me  but  ill-concealed  disgust  in  poring  over  manu- 
script in  the  dusty  office  of  the  old  notary  under  whose 
tutorage  my  mother  fondly  hoped  I  would  acqiiire 
fame. 

' '  I  had  at  odd  moments  learned  to  become  somewhat 
proficient  in  swordsmanship.  One  of  the  old  soldiers  who 
was  with  my  father  had  taken  quite  an  interest  in  my 
boyish  enthusiasm,  and  had  drilled  me  in  the  use  of 
arms,  so  that  before  I  entered  the  army  I  ranked  as  an 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  163 

expert  swordsman.     The  knowledge  came  useful  to  me 
sooner  than  I  expected,  as  I  will  tell  you  later  on. 

"It  was  a  beautiful  spring  morning  when,  attired  in  the 
uniform  of  the  Fourth  Hussars,  the  regiment  which  I 
first  joined,  I  called  on  my  mother  to  advise  her  of  the 
action  that  I  had  taken.  I  had  enlisted,  and  I  knew 
that  any  objections  which  she  might  offer  would  not 
avail.  As  I  came  up  the  path  leading  to  the  porch 
where  she  was  sitting,  I  well  remember  the  expression  of 
horror  which  overspread  her  features  when  her  eyes  first 
rested  on  my  uniform.  She  said:  'Well,  Michael,  so 
you  would  not  heed  your  mother's  wishes.  You  will 
always  be  a  poor  soldier,  and  you  might  have  become  a 
good  lawyer.'  I  had  expected  a  flood  of  touching 
words,  but  they  never  came ;  she  seemed  to  realize  that 
protestations  were  useless,  and  like  a  sensible  woman 
she  accepted  the  situation  without  any  further  words. 
I  asked  where  I  would  find  my  father.  A  stern  voice 
behind  me  replied:  'He  is  here.'  Turning,  I  was 
accosted  by  my  father.  He  was  much  perturbed,  but  he 
seemed  to  take  a  different  view  of  the  matter  from  my 
mother.  He  said:  'My  son,  I  see  signs  in  the  skies 
which  portend  a  coming  storm ;  it  is  a  storm  which  may 
topple  a  throne — and  sweep  the  cursed  nobles  along  with 
it.  The  people  of  France  will  rise ;  but  as  to  the  out- 
come, the  finale,  it  is  difficult  to  predict.  In  your  veins 
flows  a  soldier's  blood.  It  has  asserted  its  dominancy, 
and  you  are  impelled  by  that  strange  force,  which  is 
destiny,  to  don  a  soldier's  uniform.  Perhaps  the 


164  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

rights  which  were  denied  the  father  may  not  be  withheld 
from  the  son.  You  will  rise,  my  son ;  I  feel  that  strange, 
unaccountable  assurance  that  your  future  will  be  bright. 
Last  night  I  dreamed  that  you  had  won  military  glory 
for  yourself  and  for  France.  But  there  came,  before  the 
dream  was  over,  a  cloud  black  as  night  and  obscured 
the  brilliancy  of  your  achievements.  "What  is  it?  How 
strange  these  dreams!  and  yet  to  a  large  extent  they 
come  true!  This  is  the  first  time  that  I  have  in  my 
dreams  referred  to  you ;  and  it  is  doubly  strange  that 
this  day  you  should  appear  before  us  in  the  garb  of  a 
soldier. ' 

"My  father  had  in  his  make-up  a  large  element  of  the 
superstition  so  common  in  soldiers  of  that  period. 

"His  words  thrilled  me;  they  seemed  to  burn  them- 
selves into  my  heart  in  letters  of  fire.  I  found  myself 
that  day  oft  repeating  them,  and  asking  were  they 
prophetic. 

"The  words  uttered  by  my  father  never  left  me.  "Were 
they  true  ?  I  will  tell  you  as  I  give  you  the  brief  chap- 
ter of  my  life.  At  once  I  began  to  like  the  life  of  a 
soldier,  and  I  found  that  the  knowledge  which  I  had 
acquired  of  the  use  of  arms  stood  me  well  in  hand.  The 
regiment  in  which  I  enlisted  was  composed  of  dashing 
daredevils,  who,  when  they  were  not  fighting  the  enemy, 
were  fighting  among  themselves.  Dueling  became  so 
common  among  non-commissioned  men,  as  well  as  with 
the  officers,  that  stringent  laws  were  put  in  force  to 
suppress  its  frequency.  I  was  a  giant  in  stature  then, 


THE  SWORP  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  165 

and  although  I  was  young  in  the  regiment  I  soon 
acquired  the  reputation  of  being  a  good  fencer.  I  have 
often  thought,  looking  back  over  my  career,  that  had  it 
not  been  for  my  soldier  tutor  my  military  career  would 
never  have  been  written.  I  was  young,  strong,  and  I 
took  pride  in  my  strength  as  a  swordsman  and  never  lost 
an  opportunity  to  display  it.  One  day  at  a  wine  house 
in  Metz  a  fencing  master  passed  an  insult  upon  our  own 
regimental  fencing  teacher.  I  was  then  a  non-commis- 
sioned officer,  and  as  our  party  were  sitting  at  a  near  table 
we  decided  to  at  once  resent  the  insult  without  referring 
it  to  the  fencing  master,  who  had  been  wounded  slightly 
in  a  bout  with  the  offender.  His  words  were  a  reflec- 
tion upon  the  regiment,  and  I  begged  the  men  present 
to  allow  me  to  deal  with  the  offender.  Before  we  had 
settled  the  matter  as  to  who  should  have  the  honor  of 
calling  out  the  master  he  had  seized  a  goblet  of  wine 
and  dashed  it  full  in  my  face.  I  sprang  to  my  feet, 
drew  my  sword,  and  those  around  quickly  cleared  a 
space.  Our  blades  crossed,  and  back  and  forth  across 
the  floor  we  surged,  a  wall  of  steel  between  us.  The 
fight  was  well  on  when  suddenly  a  party  of  soldiers 
entered  and  we  were  placed  under  arrest.  Dueling  was 
a  serious  offense.  We  were  imprisoned,  and  it  seemed 
as  if  my  military  career  would  then  terminate.  How- 
ever, through  the  influence  of  my  friends,  we  both  aftef 
a  time  obtained  release.  I  was  still  smarting  from  the 
effects  of  that  insult  which  even  a  prison  wall  would  no! 
remove.  Therefore  I  renewed  my  challenge,  and 


106  THE   SWORD   OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

arranged  through  my  brother  officers  a  secret  meeting. 
The  meeting  came  off  in  an  old  vineyard  near  where 
we  were  garrisoned.  In  all  my  life  I  never  can  recollect 
such  a  single  combat  as  that  which  occurred  at  early 
dawn  in  the  old  San  Bernado  Vineyard.  I  had  sworn  to 
cut  off  the  hand  which  threw  the  goblet,  but  I  could  get 
no  opportunity  to  get  within  his  guard.  Sometimes  I 
found  myself  hard  pressed,  and  was  placed  on  the  defen- 
sive. My  turn  came,  the  opportunity  for  which  I  sought. 
In  recovering  from  a  fierce  lunge  at  me  he  had  inad- 
vertently uncovered.  Like  a  flash  my  blade  found  the 
opening  and  the  hand  which  held  the  sword  dropped  to 
the  ground,  severed  at  the  wrist. 

"Although  we  used  every  effort  to  conceal  the  particu- 
lars, yet  they  were  scattered  among  the  army.  I  never 
was  arrested  for  the  part  which  I  took.  The  event 
caused  my  fame  as  a  swordsman  to  become  known 
throughout  France.  The  fencing  master  could  no  longer 
follow  his  profession,  and  years  after  when  I  learned  of 
his  poverty,  I  enlisted  the  government  in  his  behalf  and 
he  secured  a  pension  as  a  solder. 

"It  was  1789.  All  royalist  Europe  was  alarmed.  The 
abolition  of  titles  was  proclaimed.  Smarting  under  the 
loss  of  their  privileges,  the  nobles  were  almost  ready  to 
side  with  the  invaders  of  France.  Still,  the  common 
danger  brought  them  to  their  senses. 

"The  Revolution  opened  the  field  for  my  advancement. 
Plebeian  birth  instead  of  being  a  bar  was  then  an  aid  to 
promotion.  The  man  of  humble  birth  might  aspire  to 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  167 

the  highest  position  of  military  honor.  There  was 
plenty  of  fighting  to  do ;  all  the  monarchical  countries  of 
Europe  seemed  arrayed  against  the  young  republic.  I 
was  attached  to  the  staff  of  Lamarche,  and  was  after- 
ward with  General  Kleber.  It  was  in  the  campaign 
against  the  Austrians  that  I  won  my  first  advancement. 

"It  is  not  my  intention  in  these  papers  to  dilate  upon 
personal  deeds,  which  my  countrymen  were  kind  enough 
to  characterize  as  valorous.  Let  me  add  that  in  seven 
pitched  battles  we  defeated  the  enemy  and  beat  them 
back  across  the  borders.  My  services  in  that  campaign 
won  me  the  commission  of  adjutant-general.  It  was 
about  this  time  I  met  the  young  Corsican  whose  deeds 
were  to  startle  the  world.  Napoleon  Bonaparte  had  then 
begun  to  demonstrate  those  masterly  qualities  which  so 
highly  distinguished  him  from  his  fellow-men.  Sprung 
from  the  middle  class,  he  knew  intimately  the  acts 
necessary  to  win  them. 

"He  was  then  penetrating  to  the  heart  of  Italy  with 
thirty  thousand  troops.  In  this  campaign  I  again 
figured.  With  one  hundred  dragoons,  the  very  flower 
of  my  command,  I  was  enabled  to  accomplish  some  very 
satisfactory  results,  principally  in  the  surrender  of 
Wurzburg,  gaining  there  my  title  of  brigadier-general. 
Shortly  after,  at  Nemvied,  with  a  few  hundred  of  trusty 
horsemen,  I  had  broken  through  the  Austrian  lines ;  the 
enemy  were  too  numerous;  they  fairly  submerged  us. 
My  steed  fell  with  me  into  a  deep  ravine,  and  surrounded 
by  the  enemy  I  was  captured  after  having  broken  my 


168  THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

sword  in  vainly  resisting.  After  arriving  in  the  camp  of 
the  enemy  they  made  merry  over  the  appearance  of  my 
steed.  They  remarked  sneeringly  that  infantry  could 
capture  such  a  horse.  They  permitted  me  to  mount,  and 
no  sooner  was  I  in  the  saddle  than  my  faithful  horse 
darted  forth  as  if  shot  from  a  canon.  The  alarm  was 
given  so  quickly  that  I  saw  I  could  not  get  beyond  the 
inner  lines,  and  came  back  to  the  spot  where  my  captors 
were  standing,  amazed.  My  horse  as  well  as  myself  was 
treated  with  the  greatest  of  consideration  after  that. 
Shortly  after  I  was,  through  exchange,  permitted  to 
rejoin  my  command,  which  then  was  increased  to  a  divi- 
sion. Thes.6  are  incidents,  my  son,  which  marked  my 
career.  It  was  during  the  campaign  in  Italy  that  I  be- 
came intimately  acquainted  with  Bonaparte.  His  bril- 
liant accomplishments  in  Italy  had  brought  him  before 
France.  He  returned  a  conqueror ;  Paris  was  at  his  feet. 
His  conquests,  reaching  up  to  the  very  shadow  of  the 
pyramids,  had  endeared  him  to  the  people.  They  were 
heartily  tired  of  the  old  government,  and  having  found 
the  man  destined  to  lead  them,  they  were  willing  to  at 
once  recognize  his  ability.  He  became  first  consul.  It 
was  about  the  time  when  we  returned  from  the  Italian 
war  that  I  first  met  Paul  Barras,  then  director.  This 
Barras,  whom  I  disliked,  was  by  birth  an  aristocrat,  allied 
by  blood  to  the  noblest  families  of  France.  His  youth 
was  passed  in  the  wildest  kind  of  dissipation.  When  the 
Revolution  came  he  cast  his  lot  with  the  anti-royalists 
because  he  thought  they  would  win,  knowing  as  he  did 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  169 

the  injustice  suffered  by  the  people  at  the  hands  of  the 
aristocracy.  He  thought  that  the  nobility  could  not 
stay  the  rising  tide.  Hence  he  was  outwardly  against 
them,  while  all  the  time  he  was  in  sympathy  with  them, 
and  hated  the  common  people.  His  open  espousal  of 
the  cause  of  the  people  won  for  him  a  high  position.  In 
time  he  became  virtually  a  dictator.  He  had  met  young 
Bonaparte  at  Toulon,  and,  himself  being  a  man  of  keen 
discernment,  at  once  saw  the  remarkable  intellect  of  the 
man  destined  to  lead  France  to  glory.  Barras,  selfish 
man,  thought  by  helping  Napoleon  to  a  position  he 
would  be  advancing  his  own  interests.  Therefore  this 
man  was  instrumental  in  securing  for  the  young  Corsican 
advancement.  Little  did  he  know  that  the  young  eagle 
would  soon  grow  his  own  wings,  and  clip  his.  This  hap- 
pened when  Napoleon  came  back  and  all  Paris  fell  at  his 
feet.  Barras  himself  loudly  proclaimed  that  he,  Barras, 
was  the  real  author  of  Napoleon's  victories;  that  he  had 
planned  the  campaign ;  that  his  ideas  had  been  carried 
out ;  and  that  to  him  belonged  the  entire  credit  of  the 
battles  won.  Of  course,  to  soldiers  who  had  seen  not 
only  the  personal  valor  of  Napoleon  on  innumerable 
occasions,  but  his  wonderful  strategic  brilliancy  as  well, 
such  mouthings  from  a  man  like  Barras  were  preposter- 
ous and  absurd.  I  recollect  well  what  the  Austrian  gen- 
eral said  at  Lodi  of  Napoleon :  'No  one  seems  to  know 
what  he  is  about.  The  French  general  is  a  young  block- 
head who  knows  nothing  of  the  regular  rules  of  war. 
Sometimes  he  is  on  our  right,  at  others  on  our  left,  now 


170  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

on  our  front,  and  presently  in  our  rear.  This  mode  of 
warfare  is  contrary  to  all  system  and  is  utterly  insuf- 
ferable.'  And  still  an  egotistical  blatant  like  Barras 
mouthed  before  his  associates  that  Napoleon  only  exe- 
cuted his  orders. 

'  'The  rancorous  venom  of  this  man  was  something 
amazing.  He  was  a  defamer  not  only  of  Napoleon ;  for 
with  him  it  made  no  difference  whether  it  was  man  or 
woman ;  if  the  latter,  he,  forgetting  the  hereditary  gal- 
lantry of  the  French,  would  claim  the  most  intimate  rela- 
tions with  her.  Barras  was  an  unscrupulous  defamer  of 
men  and  women  alike,  and  was  a  person  of  the  most 
utterly  contemptible  character.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  Josephine  de  Beauharnais  was  the  mistress  of  this 
man  before  her  marriage  to  Napoleon.  The  open  boast 
which  he  made  of  the  liaison  with  Madame  Beauharnais 
did  not,  for  some  reason,  reach  the  ears  of  Napoleon,  who 
was  a  soldier,  and  wrapped  deep  in  his  profession.  He 
had  no  direct  way  of  knowing  of  the  relations  which 
existed  between  Barras  and  Madame  Beauharnais.  It  was 
at  the  salon  of  the  director  that  Napoleon  met  her.  He 
was  at  the  first  desperately  enamored  of  the  Creole.  Her 
chief  charm  was  not  her  face,  but  her  form,  which  pos- 
sessed the  lissomeness  of  the  Creole.  It  was  at  the  time 
when  Paris  was  plunged  deep  in  the  excesses  which 
followed  the  ^Revolution.  Barras  was  a  leader  of  the 
decadent  set.  Possessing  all  the  vices  of  the  old  regime, 
he  was  the  acknowledged  head  of  the  dissolute  coterie 
which  had  headquarters  at  his  salon.  There  was  Madame 


THE  SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  171 

de  Stael  and  Madame  de  Tallien,  with  both  of  whom  Barras 
boasted  of  the  most  intimate  relations.  Into  this  fast  set 
came  the  youthful,  unsophisticated  soldier.  The  intoxi- 
cating southern  charms  of  Madame  Beauharnais  inthralled 
him.  He  was  madly,  passionately,  devotedly  in  love  with 
her.  She  was  poor,  having  had  two  children  to  support 
since  her  husband,  the  marquis,  was  guillotined.  Madame 
Tailien  had  become  interested  in  her  to  the  extent  that 
she  brought  her  under  the  protection  of  the  director. 
Blinded  by  love  and  unacquainted  with  the  depravity 
which  existed  among  the  upper  classes  in  Paris,  Napo- 
leon saw  only  the  sensuous  Creole,  whose  lissome  form 
diffused  that  intoxicating  perfume  peculiar  to  her  race. 
All  the  while  Napoleon  was  carrying  on  his  courtship 
she  was  continuing  her  intrigues  with  the  director. 
They  had  a  little  cottage  just  outside  Paris  where  weekly 
she  met  the  director,  whose  coming  was  always  heralded 
by  the  arrival  of  innumerable  hampers  and  baskets  of 
wine.  Then,  perhaps,  a  merry  troop  of  the  director's 
confreres  would  join  them.  All  this  was  common  talk  in 
the  army.  But  no  one  knowing  of  the  love  of  our  com- 
mander dared  to  bring  the  gossip  of  the  boulevards  to 
him.  Besides,  the  whole  town  and  court,  the  city  and 
civilians,  were  drunk  with  the  same  vintage.  One  could 
not  be  gloomy  in  the  gay  whirlwind  of  Paris.  The 
nation  had  given  itself  up  to  pleasure  and  luxury,  the 
Reign  of  Terror  had  become  a  dream.  Amid  all  the  beau- 
ties of  Paris,  Napoleon  had  selected  a  woman  past  the 
freshness  of  youth.  True,  she  possessed  that  indefinable 


172  THE  SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

Creole  charm,  together  with  a  suppleness  of  form,  which 
gave  her  attraction.  Napoleon  loved  her ;  he  married  her 
shortly  before  he  left  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  army 
of  Italy.  All  through  the  campaign  that  followed  he 
sent  to  his  wife  epistles  which  breathed  of  the  passionate 
adoration  which  he  held  for  her.  In  the  fierce  battles 
from  Arcola  to  Lodi  it  would  seem  there  could  be  but 
little  time  for  aught  save  the  science  of  war;  yet  love 
was  uppermost  in  the  thoughts  of  the  man  who  was  win- 
ning battles  and  replenishing  the  depleted  treasury  of 
France. 

"Toward  Paris  were  rumbling  huge  wagon  trains 
freighted  with  plate,  money,  statuary,  paintings  by  the 
old  masters,  which  gave  an  impetus  to  French  art. 
Napoleon  was  grimly  carrying  out  his  words  that 
'Wars  must  pay  their  own  expenses. '  Reports  then  began 
to  reach  him  that  Josephine  was  not  leading  just  the  life 
she  should.  Around  her  was  installed  a  circle  of  admir- 
ers, and  she,  indolent  and  indifferent,  neglected  replying 
to  Napoleon's  letters.  These  reports  flung  him  into  the 
depths  of  the  blackest  despair.  His  men,  trained  in  a 
religion  full  of  mysticism,  held  him  in  an  aimost  super- 
stitious adoration  as  he  led  them  on  from  victory  unto 
victory.  His  own  personal  courage  at  all  times  gave 
them  a  glorious  example.  All  this  time  the  insidious 
work  of  Barras  was  going  steadily  on.  Stories  of  Jose- 
phine's intimacy  with  certain  officers  were  set  afloat; 
and  one  by  one  the  stories  of  Madame  Bonaparte's  infidel- 
ity reached  the  tent  of  the  war-tossed  conqueror,  where, 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  173 

dreaming  of  Oriental  conquests,  he  led  his  hosts  over  the 
sands  of  Egypt  up  to  the  very  shadows  of  the  pyramids. 
These  rumors  at  times  seemed  to  unnerve  the  com- 
mander, and  I  think,  as  proof  indisputable  began  to 
pour  in  upon  him,  he  saw  clearly  the  part  played  by  the 
despicable  Barras.  His  heart,  so  full  of  love,  was  turn- 
ing to  steel.  The  warm  channels  which  pulsed  so  full 
of  tenderness  for  his  wife  were  chilled.  After  his  return 
to  Paris  it  was  only  through  the  pleadings  of  his 
adopted  children,  one  of  whom,  Eugene,  had  been  with 
him  in  Egypt,  that  he  consented  to  pardon  his  erring 
wife.  "While  the  private  life  of  the  first  consul  was 
clouded  with  sorrow,  his  public  life  was  one  of  public 
glory.  When  he  came  into  power  Barras,  the  director 
who  stabbed  him  in  the  back,  was  exiled,  and  never  dur- 
ing the  subsequent  reign  of  Napoleon  did  he  have  an 
opportunity  to  spew  his  vile  mouthings  upon  the  people 
of  France.  Toward  his  wife  the  first  consul,  to  all  out- 
ward appearances,  was  a  devoted  husband,  yet  to  those 
who  had  an  insight  into  his  private  life  it  was  plain  that 
he  was  coldly  indifferent.  The  indolent  Creole  had 
thrown  away  by  her  heartless  liaisons  the  empire  of  love 
— over  which  she  had  formerly  reigned.  She  never  again 
assumed  the  scepter  over  the  conqueror's  heart." 


J74  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 


CHAPTER    XIH. 

THE    MAN    OF    DESTINY. 

"As  first  consul  Napoleon  was  renowned  for  his  wisdom. 
His  ability  was  not  alone  in  the  line  of  military  strategy 
and  personal  valor,  but  his  wisdom  in  the  councils  of 
state  was  remarkable  for  its  logic.  With  this  man  of 
destiny  there  seemed  to  be  one  predominant  impulse — to 
make  the  French  people  freer — stronger — better.  He 
divested  state  customs  of  their  useless  appendages. 
The  old  way  was  nothing,  provided  it  was  hampered  with 
conventionalities  which  seemed  to  him  absurd.  Every- 
thing must  be  made  clear  to  the  people.  The  most 
philosophical  and  erudite  argument  could  not  swerve 
him  from  reducing  the  workings  of  the  state  department 
to  the  practical,  common-sense  platform  which  could  be 
plainly  overlooked  by  the  common  people.  In  that  wa3r 
he  won  their  confidence.  It  was  his  genius  which  dom- 
inated the  legislative  and  the  administrative  affairs  of 
France.  That  God-given  intellect  won  for  its  possessor 
the  veneration  of  the  most  learned  men  in  Europe.  The 
conquerors  of  history,  Alaric,  Attila,  Csesar,  had  been 
military  dictators — annihilators  rather  than  promoters 
of  human  freedom.  This  man,  our  chief,  was  as  great 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  175 

in  steering  the  ship  of  state  as  in  leading  war's  red  hosts 
to  victory.  Under  his  reign  France  made  wonderful 
advances  in  science,  literature,  art,  and  music.  Her  peo- 
ple were  free,  happy,  and  the  vineyards  and  harvest 
fields  rang  with  the  merry  songs  of  the  contented 
people.  His  assumption  of  the  imperial  crown  was 
solely  for  the  reason  that  with  the  additional  power  he 
could  make  France  freer — greater  by  the  reduction  of 
her  enemies,  foreign  and  domestic.  For  you  should 
understand  that  the  dark  brood  of  plotters  lurked  even 
within  the  walls  of  Paris.  There  was  an  attempt  to  kill 
the  first  consul  by  the  explosion  of  a  bomb.  Always 
loyal  to  his  supporters,  he  distributed  to  the  generals 
who  had  won  his  esteem  and  confidence  the  highest 
military  gifts.  It  was  then,  my  son,  that  I  received  that 
title  which  my  boyish  lips  had  often  whispered — a  mare- 
chal  of  France.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  I  worshiped  the 
emperor!  I  recollect  the  day  that  I  carried  the  news 
personally  to  my  father.  He  was  quite  ill.  As  I  bent 
over  his  couch  and  whispered  the  words  announcing  my 
title,  he  'sat  bolt  upright,  while  a  look  of  ineffable  joy 
stole  over  his  features :  'Ah,  thank  God,  who  has  given 
us  Napoleon!  Michael,  I  can  now  die  happy — but  that 
dream — will  your  future  be  darkened?'  And  he  fell  back 
upon  his  couch — the  spark  of  life  had  fled.  What  sad- 
ness, what  scenes  of  triumph,  of  joy — and  bitter  disap- 
pointment— I  recall  as  I  pen  these  lines!  There  come 
trooping  out  from  the  dark  galleries  of  memory  forma 
long  since  laid  away,  forms  which  once  pulsed  with  the 


176  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

warm  current  of  youth,  beauteous  figures  over  whose 
heaving  bosoms  glowed  rich  and  sparkling  jewels,  manly 
figures  on  whose  proud  breasts  glittered  orders  of  the 
highest  degree.  I  can  see  the  stately  Notre  Dame,  the 
vaulted  roof  re-echoing  the  sacred  chanting  of  the  priests, 
who  invoke  the  blessing  of  Almighty  God  upon  the 
coronation  of  the  emperor.  I  can  see  the  brilliant  uni- 
forms, the  nodding  plumes,  the  royal  cortege  as  it  moves 
with  stately  sweep  adown  the  aisle  toward  the  throne  of 
France.  Napoleon,  our  emperor,  garbed  in  the  imperial 
trappings  of  his  high  oflice,  appears  singularly  calm. 
There  is  hovering  over  his  face  a  tender  smile,  that  sen- 
sitive mouth  is  closed,  and  the  firm  lines  drawn  about 
either  corner  show  the  inflexibility  of  the  nature  that 
dwelleth  within.  As  the  pope  raises  the  crown  of 
Charlemagne,  there  is  a  sad  look  stealing  over  Napoleon's 
face.  Can  he  have  penetrated  the  secret  of  the  future? 
Can  that  kingly  mind  have  then  peered  through  the 
shadowy  portals  of  time  and  caught  a  fleeting  glimpse 
of  Elba— of  Waterloo— of  St.  Helena?  That  laurel- 
crowned  brow  is  of  marble  paleness  as  it  supports  the 
crown  of  Charlemagne.  Then,  as  the  pope  anoints  the 
crown  and  closes  with  the  words  to  God,  'Napoleon, 
whom  we  thus  anoint  emperor  in  your  name,'  a  flush 
of  red  surges  like  a  hot  wave  across  the  pale  cheek  of  the 
emperor,  his  eyes  flash  as  I  saw  them  flash  when  he  led 
the  men  across  the  bridge  at  Arcole.  The  spirit  of  the 
soldier  for  one  brief  instant  dominates,  and  while  it  lasts 
he  is  the  personification  of  the  war  god.  Then  the  red 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  177 

flush  recedes  and  his  face  is  half-turned  from  me,  show- 
ing a  profile  like  unto  a  Greek  god.  It  is  Josephine's 
turn,  and  I  partly  turn  my  head  away.  I  have  an  aver- 
sion for  this  woman  I  cannot  control,  even  though  she 
is  to  be  my  empress.  The  emperor  with  quiet  dignity 
advances  as  Josephine  gracefully  inclines  her  beautiful 
neck,  places  his  crown  upon  her  head  while  she  kneels  at 
his  feet.  She  looks  up  at  the  emperor  smiling,  though 
her  tears  are  falling  fast.  There  is  for  one  brief  instant 
a  mutual  telegraphy  of  love  between  them ;  their  faces 
are  radiant  with  inexpressible  beauty,  while  the  cords  of 
love  seem  to  bind  them.  A  breath,  then  a  murmur — 
then  like  a  huge  wave  gaining  strength  as  it  advances, 
and  the  suppressed  applause  of  the  assemblage  rolls 
toward  them — the  Emperor  and  Empress  of  the  French. 
The  vision  is  over. 

"Armand,  many  times  as  my  thoughts  have  drifted  back 
to  that  memorable  time  when  the  people,  through  their 
chosen  officials,  had  assembled  to  witness  the  coronation 
of  their  emperor,  have  I  wondered  at  the  changing  lights 
which  I  saw  sweep  across  the  emperor's  face.  Could  his 
prophetic  vision  have  foretold  the  future?  I  saw  again 
the  same  sad  look  at  Fontainebleau,  when  he  bade  us  fare- 
well— farewell  to  the  marshals  of  France. 

"After  the  coronation  came  years  fraught  with  anxiety, 
carrying  with  them  such  a  responsibility  as  the  world 
never  had  witnessed.  Yet  above  all  the  waves  of  passion 
and  rivers  of  blood  which  ebbed  across  the  continent, 
Napoleon  stood  like  a  giant  oak,  sturdy  and  upright 


178  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

while  the  currents  surged  at  his  feet.  Where  did  he 
get  his  knowledge,  his  ability,  his  intellect  to  master  the 
perplexed  conditions  of  the  times?  Where  did  Galileo 
obtain  his  —  Shakespeare  —  Luther  —  Washington,  but 
from  the  Divine  power  which  had  through  them  worked 
miracles?  The  monarchs  of  Europe,  jealous  of  the 
miraculous  advance  made  by  the  new  emperor,  whom  they 
designated  the  Corsican  parvenu,  were  constantly  form- 
ing combinations  to  annihilate  the  plans  for  French 
greatness  which  were  evolving  from  the  brain  of  Napo- 
leon. All  this  time  he  was  fast  uprooting  the  feudalism 
of  old  from  the  Italian  and  Germanic  states.  He  gave 
to  his  subjects  personal  liberty,  equality  before  the 
law,  religious  tolerance.  He  planted  the  tree  of  human 
liberty  so  deep  that  the  combined  monarchs  of  Europe 
never  could  uproot  it.  It  was  these  new  ideas,  freedom 
of  speech  and  thought,  which  were  distasteful  to  the 
men  who  alleged  that  they  ruled  by  divine  right.  Napo- 
leon was  placed  on  the  throne  by  nearly  four  million 
ballots.  They  could  understand  that  under  the  bright 
rays  from  the  Napoleonic  lamp  the  dark  corners  in  their 
realms  must  be  made  bright.  Hence  the  man  who 
threw  ancient  customs  to  the  wind  must  be  annihilated. 
This  was  the  spirit  against  the  youthful  conqueror ;  for 
young  he  was,  only  thirty -five,  when  the  iron  crown  of 
Lombardy  was  placed  upon  his  brow.  It  was  the  one 
thing  on  which  the  cunning  Russ,  the  haughty  Austrian, 
the  fiery  Hun,  the  phlegmatic  Prussian  and  the  stolid 
Briton  all  agreed — Napoleon  must  be  annihilated- 


THE  SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  179 

"I  cannot  enter  into  details  of  the  campaign  that  fol- 
lowed, the  long  marches,  the  brilliant  maneuvers,  the 
lightning-like  handling  of  troops,  all  dominated  and 
directed  by  that  imperious  genius  whom  combined 
Europe  could  not  subdue.  Plainly  I  can  recall  those 
long  marches,  through  icy  slush,  over  tortuous  moun- 
tain paths,  the  emperor  himself  setting  the  example  to 
us  all.  When  the  men  were  weary  and  footsore,  or  when 
harassed  by  the  enemy,  he  would  talk  to  them  encourag- 
ingly, take  them  in  his  confidence,  and  if  a  storm  of 
musketry  was  withering  the  ranks,  he  would  ride  uncon- 
cernedly down  and  take  his  observations  as  calmly  as  if 
inspecting  a  brigade  drill.  Such  fearlessness,  indiffer- 
ence to  danger,  and  almost  touching  consideration  of  his 
men  won  for  him  their  superstitious  adoration. 

"Shall  I  ever  forget  that  night's  bivouac  before  Auster- 
litz !  The  night  was  cold,  bitter  cold,  and  a  heavy  fog 
spread  over  the  armies  that  were  to  hurl  themselves  to- 
gether at  early  dawn.  Napoleon  had  divined  the  inten- 
tion of  the  allied  leaders,  and  all  night  was  placing  his 
reserves  in  position,  giving  instructions  to  the  officers 
and  encouraging  the  men.  His  physical  endurance  was 
remarkable.  I  know  that  for  the  week  previous  he  had 
scarcely  removed  his  boots,  and  all  that  night  he  was 
omnipresent  and  apparently  in  the  best  of  health  and 
spirits.  It  was  the  anniversary  of  his  coronation.  I 
called  at  his  headquarters  to  obtain  his  last  instructions, 
because  I  commanded  the  center,  and  we  were  to  attack 
first.  As  I  entered  his  tent  he  was  facing  me,  with  his 


180  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

hands  folded  across  the  back  of  his  chair ;  his  hat  was  on 
and  his  brow  was  corrugated  with  deep  thought  for  the 
plans  for  the  morrow.  He  never  moved,  but  said :  'Mar- 
shal, I  have  just  completed  my  plans.  At  eight  o'clock 
to-morrow  the  fog  will  have  lifted;  be  in  readiness  to 
attack  the  enemy's  center,  provided  you  hear  the  signal 
gun  fired — once — then  attack.  We  will  win,  I  have  that 
presentiment.  When  the  sun  goes  down  to-morrow  the 
eagles  of  France  will  float  proudly  over  Austerlitz!' 
Prophetic  words!  I  was  nervously  awaiting  the  time 
for  the  gun  to  give  the  signal  for  our  charge.  A  few 
minutes  before  the  appointed  time  the  fog  lifted  like  a 
veil ;  there  before  us,  just  as  the  emperor  had  planned,  lay 
the  armies  of  Russia  and  Austria.  Before  their  officers 
had  an  opportunity  to  recover  from  their  astonishment 
the  signal  gun  had  boomed,  and  the  emperor  himself 
dashed  down  my  line ;  we  were  off,  and  so  fierce  was  our 
onslaught  that  we  broke  the  enemy's  center.  The  im- 
perial guard  of  Alexander  could  not  withstand  the  wild 
charge  of  our  troops,  who  knew  that  the  eyes  of  the 
emperor  were  on  them.  All  day  long  the  irnpurpled  tide 
of  battle  ebbed  and  flowed,  but  ere  the  fall  of  night  the 
eagles  of  France  perched  triumphant  over  the  bloody 
marshes  of  Austerlitz.  The  lull  that  followed  was  but  a 
breathing  spell.  Prussia  and  Fjngland  were  jealous  of 
the  advances  made  by  France,  and  openly  proclaimed  that 
French  politics  had  been  the  scourge  of  humanity  for 
fifteen  years.  Napoleon  labored  hard  for  peace — but 
after  months  of  bitter  correspondence  came  conflict. 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  181 

The  war  that  followed  was  bloody.  We  had  only  time 
to  "burnish  our  arms  when  were  hurried  on  to  the  historic 
fields  of  Jena.  Here  I  won  the  warm  praise  of  the 
emperor.  I  think,  Armand,  that  I  can  truthfully  say 
that  Jena  was  the  grandest  battle  of  my  life ;  but  I  will 
not  show  my  weakness  in  recounting  my  personal 
achievements.  After  Jena  came  Friedland,  and  our 
triumphal  entry  into  Berlin.  Such  fighters  were  those 
Prussians,  such  swordsmen !  the  most  soldierly  race  I  ever 
met;  their  bravery  compelled  my  admiration.  After 
Friedland  came  the  historic  meeting  of  the  Emperors  of 
France  and  Eussia  and  the  King  of  Prussia.  How  my 
mind  reverts  to  the  old  struggle  at  Jena !  Before  that  I 
won  the  battle  at  Elchingen,  in  honor  of  which  the  em- 
peror had  conferred  upon  me  the  title  of  Duke  of  Elch- 
ingen. My  associations  after  that  with  him  were  of  the 
closest.  But  at  Jena  my  best  work  was  done.  The 
brave  Prussians  could  not  turn  the  army  which  swept 
toward  them  like  an  avalanche.  The  words  that  Napo- 
leon said  to  me  with  his  face  glowing  with  the  inspira- 
tion of  battle,  were:  'Marshal,  you  have  handled  your 
command  nobly,  better  than  I  have  ever  witnessed  upon 
any  field. ' 

"I  was  recalled  from  a  mission  to  Switzerland  to  take 
part  in  the  affairs  of  Spain.  The  abdication  of  the  Bour- 
bons resulted  in  placing  Napoleon's  brother  Joseph  on 
the  throne  of  Spain.  Joseph  was  a  weak  man,  and  soon 
there  was  a  general  revolt  against  him.  The  presence  of 
the  emperor  there  later  was,  however,  inspiring  to  the 


182  THE  SWORD   OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

Spanish  people.  He  gave  them  a  liberal  constitution. 
The  horrors  of  the  inquisition  were  ended,  interstate 
customs  were  done  away  with.  But  under  a  religious 
enthusiasm  enkindled  by  the  priests,  the  rebellion  grew. 
Owing  to  plotting  in  Paris  against  the  emperor,  he  was 
compelled  to  return  at  a  time  when  his  presence  was 
imperative  to  carry  his  plans  to  success  in  Spain. 

"Dark  plots  were  being  formed  in  Paris  during  the 
emperor's  absence  in  the  peninsula.  No  man  could 
have  attained  such  prominence  without  exciting  jealousy. 
Constant  rumors  began  to  reach  his  ears  of  the  intrigues 
which  were  going  on  at  the  capital.  It  caused  his  return 
to  Paris  when  his  masterly  hand  was  most  needed  in 
Spain.  Talleyrand,  the  most  cunning  and  subtle  of  the 
arch  plotters  against  the  emperor,  was  aided  in  perfecting 
his  plans  by  Fouche,  who  had  been  commissaire  of  police 
during  the  period  when  the  emperor  was  consul.  He 
was  a  most  excellent  and  worthy  mate  for  the  unprin- 
cipled Talleyrand.  These  men  were  indebted  to  the 
emperor  for  numerous  favors,  as  he  had  given  them  many 
positions  of  trust  and  honor  in  the  filling  of  which  they 
were  unfaithful  to  their  chief.  They  awaited  the  emper- 
or's absence  from  the  capital  to  set  their  insidious  plans 
in  motion.  Talleyrand,  the  leader,  was  endowed  with  a 
high  order  of  intellect,  and  his  long  associations  with  the 
affairs  of  state  gave  him  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the 
weak  spots  in  the  emperor's  armor.  He,  like  the  fawn- 
ing dog,  was  preparing  to  bury  his  fangs  in  the  hand 
that  fed  him.  Suspecting  him  of  duplicity,  Napoleon 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  183 

removed  him  from  his  official  position;  not,  however, 
before  he  had  succeeded  in  injecting  much  of  his  poison 
into  the  channels  of  state  affairs.  This  two-faced  Talley- 
rand had  used  every  argument  to  induce  Napoleon  to 
commence  the  invasion  of  Spain,  while  on  the  other  hand 
he  was  secretly  denouncing  the  move.  For  months  he, 
through  his  followers,  was  blaming  the  emperor  for  the 
abdication  of  the  Bourbons  and  the  placing  of  Joseph  on 
the  throne  of  Spain ;  and  at  the  same  time  he  was  hold- 
ing an  official  position  under  him  and  pouring  constantly 
into  his  ears  persistent  words  of  encouragement  to  con- 
tinue in  the  path  which  he  had  marked  out.  Napoleon 
said  to  him  before  a  meeting  of  high  officials :  'You  have 
been  a  traitor  to  your  duties,  you  have  deceived  every- 
body, nothing  is  sacred  to  you,  you  would  sell  your  own 
father.  I  have  loaded  you  down  with  gifts,  but  there  is 
nothing  that  you  would  not  undertake  against  me.  I  can 
smash  you  as  a  wineglass,  but  I  despise  you  too  much  to 
take  the  trouble.'  Even  the  emperor  could  not  then 
fathom  the  subtle  treachery  of  this  man.  I  could,  in 
after  years,  trace  the  hand  of  this  dark  plotter  in  many 
of  the  events  which  came  hastening  on. 

"I  was  recalled  from  Spain  to  take  part  in  the  war  with 
Austria.  It  was  carnage — in  fact  the  profession  of  war 
is  so  terrible  that  after  awhile  it  becomes  fascinating. 
Many  times  have  I  turned  on  my  pillow  as  my  dreams 
have  carried  me  back  amid  the  lurid  war  clouds  of 
Europe.  Few  indeed  were  the  cities  over  which  the 
eagles  of  Napoleon  did  not  fly  triumphantly. 


184  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

"The  capitals  of  the  Briton  and  the  Turk  were  exempt, 
but  over  the  walls  of  Vienna  floated  the  flag  of  Austerlitz. 
With  the  domestic  affairs  of  the  emperor's  life  I  shall 
deal  briefly.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  it  was  with  much  joy 
that  I  learned  of  the  divorce  which  legally  separated  him 
from  the  sensuous  Creole  who  had  been  his  wife.  Some- 
how whenever  I  saw  Josephine  I  could  not  help  recalling 
the  stories  of  her  relations  with  Barras  and  others.  It  is 
but  fair  for  me  to  say  that  this  woman  had  undergone  a 
complete  change  of  feeling  toward  the  emperor.  After 
her  marriage  to  him  she  had  flung  to  the  winds  her  mar- 
riage vows  and  plunged  madly  into  excesses,  regarding 
her  husband  with  coldness  and  indifference,  while  his 
heart  was  torn  and  lacerated  over  her  unfaithfulness. 
She  later  underwent  a  complete  change  of  feeling; 
it  was  impossible  for  any  one  to  be  long  brought  into 
close  contact  with  Napoleon  without  loving  him — without 
adoring  that  imperial  spirit  which  found  a  home  in  his 
breast.  Josephine  was  not  different,  and  her  weak 
woman's  heart  had  long  since  capitulated.  She  loved  the 
emperor  with  a  passion  which  amounted  to  veneration, 
but  his  heart  never  returned  to  her  keeping  after  the 
cruel  shafts  had  pierced  it  during  the  early  period  of  his 
married  life.  His  love  had  lost  its  illusion.  There  were 
state  reasons  for  a  divorce.  France  was  assured  of  the 
perpetuation  of  freedom  under  the  Napoleonic  rule,  and 
it  was  of  the  utmost  importance  that  a  son  should  suc- 
ceed Napoleon.  He  was  married  to  Marie  Louise, 
daughter  of  the  reigning  house  of  Austria.  The  enthusi- 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  185 

asm  of  the  French  people  was  unbounded  when  the 
booming  cannon  announced  the  birth  of  Napoleon's  eon 
— the  King  of  Rome.  Rejoicings  and  fetes  followed,  and 
Napoleon  himself  declared  it  to  be  the  happiest  period  of 
his  life.  But  this  joy  was  to  be  short-lived.  In  the 
horizon  ominous  clouds  were  gathering.  The  compact 
entered  into  with  Russia  in  regard  to  the  admission  of 
English  goods  was  violated  by  the  czar.  Napoleon  was 
sorely  irritated  when  he  realized  that  Alexander  was 
playing  him  false.  He  sent  to  St.  Petersburg  many 
documents  in  relation  to  the  continental  blockade ;  with 
him  it  had  become  the  fundamental  law  of  the  empire. 
To  all  of  his  communications,  Alexander  maintained  the 
strictest  silence,  vouchsafing  no  reply.  Some  of  the 
emperor's  letters  were  almost  pleading  in  their  senti- 
ment. Napoleon  desired  no  war.  He  wished  peace 
between  his  people  and  the  Russians,  and  here  is  where 
the  poisoned  shafts  of  Talleyrand  entered.  He  had  pri- 
vately sought  audience  with  the  czar,  and  had  counseled 
him  to  remain  silent  to  Napoleon's  pleadings.  He  said 
it  was  preposterous  to  think  of  Napoleon  invading  Russia. 
The  czar  lent  a  willing  ear  to  Talleyrand  and'  his  con- 
freres and  pledged  himself  to  ignore  Napoleon's  commu- 
nications. The  false  Talleyrand  knew  that  Napoleon 
would  advance,  that  the  ignoring  of  his  letters  would 
cause  him  to  cross  the  Nieman.  Then  he  knew  that  with 
the  emperor  out  of  France  he  would  be  enabled  to  carry 
on  his  propaganda  against  him.  I  had  a  presentiment 
that  disaster  would  come  of  the  Russian  campaign,  and 


186  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

counseled  the  emperor  against  the  invasion ;  he  himself 
did  not  then  believe  that  there  would  be  war.  He  be- 
lieved that  the  march  of  the  army  of  over  a  half-million 
men  toward  his  possessions  would  bring  Alexander  to  a 
sense  of  realization  of  his  duty  and  of  his  obligations. 
But  true  to  his  word  to  Talleyrand  he  preserved  a  silence. 
Toward  the  frontier  were  hurled  Napoleon's  legions, 
while  he  himself  fondly  hoped  that  Alexander's  letter 
would  reach  him  ere  he  crossed  the  Jine.  The  communi- 
cation came  not.  Talleyrand  had  triumphed,  the  Russian 
campaign  was  on.  Before  us  lay  the  snow-clad  plains  of 
Russia.  Leagues  of  barren  and  devastated  fields  lay 
between  us  and  the  icy  towers  of  Moscow.  For  miles  on 
either  side  our  path  was  through  a  country  where  the 
people  had  destroyed  the  crops — in  fact,  ruined  fields  and 
smoking  villages  made  the  task  of  securing  supplies  for 
our  army  a  difficult  one.  After  the  battle  of  Moskwa, 
the  emperor  conferred  upon  me  the  title  of  Prince  of 
Moskwa.  It  was  there  we  lost  fifty  thousand  men.  We 
reached  Moscow  with  its  glittering  minarets  and  fanastic 
spires,  linked  together  with  gilt  chains.  Backward  from 
its  smoking  ruins  and  flame-swept  squares  lay  our  route. 
The  horrors  of  that  homeward  march  under  the  leaden 
skies  and  wintry  blasts  of  Russia !  The  suffering  which 
we  endured  was  slight  indeed  compared  with  the  anguish 
of  the  emperor.  Who  among  us  could  fathom  the  inner 
feelings  of  that  mighty  soul  and  read  what  was  passing  in 
it  as  he  gazed  in  mournful  silence  at  the  passing  of  his 
ice-clad  hosts  ?  Shattered  and  worn,  we  at  last  reached 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  187 

the  Nieman,  not  the  grand  army  that  had  marched 
proudly  out  with  waving  banners  and  throbbing  drums. 
I  thought  as  I  followed  the  last  shattered  regiment  across 
the  river  that  the  enemy  had  truly  starved  back  the 
invaders.  During  our  absence  the  insidious  work  of  the 
conspirators,  Talleyrand,  Barras,  Fouche  and  others,  had 
progressed  steadily.  They  had  even  gone  so  far  as  to 
publish  an  announcement  of  Napoleon's  death.  They 
had  even  read  in  the  senate  a  proclamation  to  the  effect 
that  the  imperial  government  was  at  an  end.  This  showed 
to  the  emperor  that  the  plotters  against  him  were  many, 
and  that  the  disasters  of  the  Russian  campaign  had  been 
used  all  over  France  to  turn  the  people  against  him. 
Outside  of  France  the  fires  of  freedom  had  been  kindled 
by  the  deeds  of  Napoleon,  the  tree  of  human  liberty  had 
been  planted  so  deep  that  the  combined  efforts  of  all  the 
monarchs  of  Europe  could  not  uproot  it.  The  rulers 
were  convinced  that  the  only  way  that  the  growth  of  lib- 
erty could  be  checked  was  by  the  annihilation  of  the  man 
who  had  with  his  God-given  power  instilled  the  princi- 
ples of  enlightenment  throughout  Europe.  He,  the  man 
of  glorious  destiny,  must  be  destroyed.  Hence,  my  son, 
we  found  all  Europe  marching  against  us.  At  home  the 
cunning  disciples  of  Talleyrand,  Barras,  and  Fouche  had 
done  much  in  secret  to  undermine  the  faith  of  the  French 
people  in  their  chosen  ruler.  Paris  had  been  the  very 
hotbed  of  Talleyrandism,  and  it  was  there  that  the  doc- 
trine of  the  plotters  was  infused  into  the  army.  Napo- 
leon himself  realized  that  even  the  old  guard  was  against 


188  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

him.  The  apathy  of  the  men  who  even  wore  the  grand 
cordon  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  was  apparent.  The 
treachery  on  the  part  of  the  men  for  whom  he  had  done 
BO  much  saddened  his  heart ;  the  people,  the  army,  the 
legislative  bodies  seemed  paralyzed  with  indifference. 
Napoleon  said  to  me,  vhile  his  eyes  were  wet  with  tears, 
'These  people  misunderstand  me.  What  would  I  not  do 
for  France  and  liberty?'  Outside  of  France  the  hatred 
of  the  emperor  had  become  almost  fanatical  and  the  one 
absorbing  impulse  was  to  remove  him  beyond  the  pale  of 
action.  It  was  a  war  not  against  a  nation,  but  against  an 
individual.  There  could  be  but  one  result  from  the  com- 
bined attacks,  front  and  rear.  Our  own  army  was  honey- 
combed with  plots  against  the  emperor.  What  matter 
how  gallantly  we  fought !  What  matter  how  the  genius  of 
Napoleon  triumphed  over  the  allied  armies!  Even  his 
genius  could  not  overcome  the  treachery  of  those  whom 
he  left  behind  to  protect  Paris ;  that  Paris  behind  whose 
walls  lurked  foes  more  dangerous  than  bronzed  cohorts 
of  the  allied  armies  wJ-  ich  were  steadily  closing  in  upon 
her. 

"We  were  at  Fontainebleau  when  the  news  reached  us  of 
the  fall  of  Paris.  The  emperor  was  deeply  moved  at  the 
condition  which  confronted  him.  The  lines  of  sadness 
deepened  upon  his  face  at  the  news  of  some  fresh  deser- 
tion. Every  influence,  falsehood,  intimidation,  and  pur- 
chase had  been  used,  and  the  army  was  fast  deserting 
him.  In  Paris,  Talleyrand  through  his  influence  with 
Alexander  had  triumphed,  and  Paris  turned,  through  the 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  189 

falsehoods  of  this  man,  upon  its  benefactor,  the  man  who 
had  made  it  great.  Then  came  the  desertion  of  Mar- 
mont,  and  Napoleon,  although  surrounded  by  a  small 
army,  realized  that  the  frightful  combination  against  him 
was  insurmountable.  He  who  could  withstand  the  shock 
of  battle  could  not  recover  from  the  treachery  of  his 
former  friends.  The  nobility  of  his  soul,  the  sincerity  of 
his  love  for  France  was  evident,  when,  upon  abdicating 
his  throne  he  said,  while  his  eyes  filled  with  tears: 
'There  is  no  personal  sacrifice,  even  that  of  my  life, 
which  I  would  not  make  in  the  interest  of  France. '  That 
April  morning  at  Fontainebleau  when  he  bade  us  farewell 
who  had  been  true  to  him  to  the  last !  What  saddening 
echoes  ring  through  memory's  gallery  as  I  recall  that 
parting !  We  who  had  faced  death  on  many  a  hard-fought 
field,  who  had  followed  our  leader  unmoved  through  the 
icy  wastes  of  Kussia,  were  weeping  when  the  time  came 
to  say  farewell  to  our  hero,  the  builder  of  modern  France. 
Silently,  with  uncovered  heads,  we  embraced  the  man 
who  must  in  history  tower  above  all  others.  His  face 
was  pale,  but  his  manner  composed,  and  as  I  bade  him 
farewell,  he  said,  while  a  smile  lighted  his  face:  'Mar- 
shal, I  see  the  sword  still  remains  with  you. '  I  replied : 
'Yes,  sire,  to  be  drawn  for  you  and  yours  forever.' 
The  sword  which  I  wore  was  the  one  which  he  brought 
back  from  the  battle  of  the  pyramids,  and  presented  to 
me.  It  was  wrought  of  the  finest  steel,  and  its  strangely- 
jeweled  hilt  had  often  been  remarked  upon.  Napoleon 
had  related  to  me  the  tradition  concerning  it.  The  old 


190  THE  SWORD  OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

legend  ran  thus :  That  every  one  who  had  worn  it  had 
been  shot,  not  in  the  heat  of  combat,  but  for  the  part 
which  they  played  in  uprisings  against  existing  govern- 
ments.    Effendi  Tekelan,  who  was  the  owner  before  me, 
was   shot   by   the   order   of   Napoleon.     He   laughingly 
recited,  as  he  rolled  a  final  cigarette,  the  history  of  the 
sword  to  the  emperor  just  previous  to  his  execution.     He 
said:  'General  Bonaparte,  there  is  my  sword:  it  has  a 
long  history,  a  fateful  one,  and  as  I  am  a  fatalist  I  believe 
that   it   will   continue;  give  it  to  some  one  whom  you 
know  to  be  loyal ;  it  will  then  test  the  strength  of  tradi- 
tion.     We  Mussulmen  believe  it. '    Before  Napoleon  pre- 
sented it  to  me  he  told  me  of  its  strange  history;  he 
asked  if,  with  such  a  career,  I  cared  to  keep  it.    I  replied 
that  for  whatever  belief  the  Mohammedans  might  repose 
in  its  effect  upon  the  life  of  man,  I  cared  nothing,  but  as 
a  present  from  my  general  I  should  accept  it,  swearing  to 
wield  it  only  in  his  or  my  country's  behalf;  and  if  ever 
upon  my  person  when  he  or  a  Bonaparte  should  call,  it 
would  be  raised  in  his  behalf.     This  sword,  my  son,  was 
with  me  all  through  my  campaigns.     And  in  spite  of  a 
certain  degree  of  skepticism  which  I  inherited  from  my 
matter-of-fact  mother,  I  had  learned  long  ere  we   came 
together  in  the  courtyard  at  Fontainebleau  to  look  upon 
the  blade  with  an  adoration  that  was  superstitious  in  its 
character.    While  wearing  it  I  had  never  up  to  that  time, 
that  sad  parting,  lost  a  battle.     In  the  fateful  march  to 
the  icy  minarets  and  glistening  towers  of  Moscow,  I  had 
at  the  field  of  Moskwa  been   beaten   back  twice  by  the 


THE   SWORD   OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  191 

fierce  Cossacks,  when  noticing  that  my  valet  had  in  his 
haste  in  the  morning  passed  me  the  wrong  sword,  I 
quickly  dispatched  an  aide  to  my  headquarters  for  my 
sword — the  sword  of  the  pyramids,  as  I  had  named  it  on 
account  of  the  location  where  it  passed  into  Napoleon's 
possession.  When  I  drew  that  blade  from  its  sheath  it 
seemed  to  emit  flashes  of  crimson,  and  the  huge,  pale 
opal  in  the  hilt  glowed  blood-red.  I  charged  the  Russian 
center,  broke  through  their  lines,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
the  wild  Cossacks  of  the  steppes  were  fleeing  before  us. 
It  is  strange,  indeed,  Armand,  that  I,  a  blunt,  plain  sol- 
dier, should  have  become  surcharged  with  a  feeling  akin 
to  superstition,  from  contact  with  an  inanimate  object. 
Such  was  the  true  feeling  which  I  entertained  toward  the 
sword  of  the  pyramids.  I  had  learned  to  study  with 
feverish  interest  the  ever-changing  lights  of  the  big  opal 
in  the  center  of  the  crescent  in  the  hilt.  In  times  of 
peace  it  was  of  a  beautiful  milky  color.  Before  a  battle 
it  seemed  to  emit  little  steely  flashes.  In  the  heat  of 
conflict  it  became  a  living  globe  of  fire;  it  seemed  to 
reflect  the  crimson  tide  which  flowed  about  us.  I  became 
not  only  attached  to  the  sword,  but  interested  in  its  his- 
tory, and  sought  through  friends  in  Egypt  to  trace  its 
ownership  through  the  centuries.  Through  the  prophets 
of  Allah  I  was  able  to  learn  a  most  remarkable  history. 
It  was  first  owned,  so  runs  the  story,  by  Bajazet,  who  in 
1402  exchanged  the  title  of  emir  for  the  prouder  name  of 
sultan.  The  banners  of  the  Turk  which  bore  the  cres- 
cent shone  victorious  from  the  blue  waters  of  the  Medi- 


192  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

terranean  to  Thracedonian  and  Servian  hills.  At  Nicop- 
olis  he  routed  the  chivalry  of  France  which  had  mus- 
tered to  roll  back  the  dark  tide  of  Moslem  war.  Greece, 
too,  was  ravaged  by  his  victorious  hordes.  The  glitter- 
ing crescent  of  Bajazet  seemed  to  carry  everything  before 
it.  Then,  suddenly,  there  arose  the  most  terrific  warrior 
that  Asia  has  ever  produced — Timour,  descended  from 
the  Zenghis  khan  who  carried  his  banners  to  the  walls 
of  St.  Peter.  He  fell  upon  the  Eastern  frontier  of 
Bajazet  with  cyclonic  force,  and  everything  was  swept 
before  the  fierce  Mongol.  At  Angora  he  met  Bajazet  and 
utterly  routed  his  forces.  It  was  here  he  is  said  to  have 
built  a  pyramid  of  twenty  thousand  bleeding  heads. 
Timour  ordered  Bajazet  to  be  beheaded  with  his  own 
sword,  and  that  his  mutilated  head  be  placed  upon  the 
apex  of  the  pyramid  formed  by  the  heads  of  his  slaugh- 
tered soldiers.  Hence  you  see  there  is  a  double  meaning 
in  the  name  that  I  have  given  it.  It  was  the  sword  of 
the  pyramid  of  Timour.  Bajazet,  before  his  execution, 
called  down  the  curse  of  the  prophet  upon  all  who  should 
wear  his  sword — that  they  should  be  executed  as  well  as 
he.  The  sword  fell  into  the  hands  of  one  of  Timour 's 
generals,  who  was  executed  by  the  fierce  janizaries  into 
whose  hands  he  fell. 

"Every  part  of  its  strange  career  is  filled  with  interest. 
On  the  throne  of  the  Eastern  Empire  sat  Constantino 
Palaeologus,  the  last  of  the  Caesars,  himself  no  unworthy 
wearer  of  the  royal  purple.  Before  his  capital  city, 
Constantinople,  rested  Mahomet,  commanding  an  army  of 


THE  SWORD   OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  193 

nearly  a  hundred  thousand  fierce  followers  of  the  cres- 
cent. After  many  attempts  to  carry  the  beleaguered 
city,  both  by  land  and  by  sea,  the  terrible  janizaries  at 
last  succeeded  in  clambering  over  the  ruined  walls. 
Their  leader,  Hassan,  was  then  wearer  of  the  sword,  and 
with  it,  say  the  prophets,  he  slew  Constantino,  the  last 
of  the  Caesars,  and  the  last  Christian  ruler  in  the  city 
which  bore  the  name  of  Constantino  the  Great.  Even 
on  the  day  of  his  death,  the  rites  of  the  Moslem  were 
held  under  the  vaulted  dome  of  St.  Sophia.  It  then 
traveled  back  and  forth  wherever  the  crescent  was  flung, 
from  the  palaces  of  the  Moor  to  the  blood-stained  sands 
of  Egypt.  Through  centuries,  according  to  the  Moham- 
medan prophets,  the  curse  of  the  old  sultan  lived.  In 
spite  of  its  dark  past,  and  the  sultan's  curse,  there  were 
always  plenty  to  wear  it.  It  seemed  to  possess  a  mag- 
netic attraction,  for  nothing  but  death  would  cause  its 
wearer  to  give  it  up.  Then  the  man  to  whom  it  fell 
wore  it  in  his  turn,  unceasingly.  This  history  was  not 
known  to  Napoleon — only  the  brief  words  regarding  it 
which  were  spoken  to  him  by  Effendi  Tekelan  previous 
to  his  execution.  While  I  cannot  say  that  I  accept  the 
tradition  regarding  the  sword,  still  there  is  about  it  an 
attraction  that  I  have  never  yet  been  able  to  understand. 
Yes,  it  exists,  that  subtle,  inexplicable  magnetism,  which 
is  beyond  comprehension.  Whether  the  attraction  lies 
in  the  shining  blade  of  steel,  the  strangely  wrought  carv- 
ings, the  weird,  shifting  lights  of  the  diamond-hooped 
opal  in  the  crescent  upon  its  handle,  or  in  its  eventful 


194  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

history  as  related  by  the  followers  of  Allah,  I  cannot  tell 
No  blade  ever  influenced  me  like  that.  Although  its 
history  has  been  bloody  from  the  time  when  its  first 
wearer's  head  crowned  the  pyramid  of  Timour,  yet  there 
lingers  about  it  a  halo  of  romance  as  well;  tales  which 
speak  of  the  soft  twilight  among  the  hills  of  southern 
Spain ;  tales  of  daring  and  of  love  amid  the  glittering 
mosques  of  the  Moslem  capital  and  amid  the  shifting 
sands  of  Egpyt.  There  is  about  its  history  a  tinge  of 
romanticism  as  well  as  occultism.  But,  Armand,  I  must 
now  go  back  to  that  sad  morning  when  the  emperor  said 
to  me:  'Marshal,  you  still  wear  tlie  sword.' 

"After  his  departure  for  his  island  home  what  was  there 
left  in  life  for  me?  Nothing  but  emptiness,  I  thought, 
as  with  bowed  head  and  moistened  eye  I  turned  away. 
To  Paris  I  hastened.  I  had  one  desire  uppermost  in  my 
mind,  to  terminate  the  earthly  career  of  Talleyrand, 
Barras,  and  Fouche.  One  day,  while  waiting  at  the 
entrance  of  the  senate,  I  met  the  arch-plotter  Talleyrand. 
I  half  drew  my  sword,  when  a  revulsion  of  feeling  caused 
my  hand  to  drop  limp  at  my  side.  I  was  a  soldier,  not 
an  assassin.  Days  of  idleness  in  Paris  then  followed. 
It  is  true  I  was  courted  by  the  followers  of  the  Bourbons, 
whose  chief,  under  the  title  of  Louis  XVIII.,  was  king. 
The  highest  position  in  the  army  was  offered  me.  Still 
my  heart  was  heavy.  I  grew  gloomy.  Activity  I  must 
have.  And  then,  if  I  did  not  love  the  money-grabbing 
Bourbons,  I  loved  France — she  needed  friends.  I  could 
at  least  serve  her.  If  again  threatened  by  foreign  foes, 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  195 

I  could  shed  my  blood  for  her  and  not  for  Louis,  King 
of  the  Ducats,  who  knew  as  little  how  to  rule  as  did  his 
brother  who  was  guillotined.  Back  came  the  exiled 
noblesse.  Louis  gave  the  people,  with  immensely 
patronizing  and  swaggering  airs,  certain  privileges, 
which  proved  to  be  empty  forms.  They  were  ground 
down  in  the  dust  of  taxation  that  Louis,  the  Ducat  King, 
might  sit  on  his  throne.  'As  spring  approached  the 
mutterings  of  discontent  began  to  roll  over  the  land ;  the 
misrule  of  the  Bourbons  was  being  brought  into  stronger 
contrast  with  the  wise  rule  of  the  emperor.  It  was 
clearly  evident  that  the  love  of  the  people  for  their  great 
ruler  was  unquenched.  I  was  at  Grenoble  when  the 
news  reached  me  of  the  emperor's  arrival  at  Cannes  from 
Elba.  Conflicting  emotions  swept  through  my  mind.  I 
was  a  soldier — an  officer  of  France.  I  was  officially 
under  the  direction  of  the  King  of  France.  But  first  of 
all  I  was  a  Frenchman,  and  the  good  of  France  was 
nearest  my  heart.  How  could  my  country  be  benefited 
by  my  marching  against  the  man  who  had  raised  her 
from  a  mire  of  corruption,  and  placed  her  in  the  front  of 
the  great  nations  of  the  earth  ?  All  night  long,  after  I 
had  received  my  orders  from  Paris,  did  I  reason  as  to 
the  best  course  for  me  to  pursue.  To  render  my  posi- 
tion more  bitter  the  vile  Talleyrand,  whom  Louis  had 
rewarded  for  his  treachery  to  the  emperor  with  a  minis- 
ter's portfolio,  sent  me  word  to  bring  the  emperor  back 
to  Paris  in  a  cage.  A  commotion  in  front  attracted  my 
attention,  and  riding  rapidly  ahead,  I  saw  there  the 


196  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

figure  of  the  emperor.  His  form  had  increased  in  stout- 
ness, but  his  eyes  had  lost  none  of  their  brilliancy,  and  the 
voice  that  had  made  the  grand  army  thrill  as  with  an 
electric  shock,  that  voice  with  all  its  magnetic  eloquence 
was  there.  I  halted,  I  could  hear  his  words  plainly  as 
he  said :  'If  there  be  among  you  a  soldier  who  would 
kill  his  general,  his  emperor,  let  him  do  it  now,  here  I 
am. '  Then  a  cry  went  welling  up  from  the  entire  army, 
rolling  like  a  huge  wave  all  along  our  lines — Vive  VEm- 
pereur!  I  halted — there  stood  the  man  whom  I  had 
been  sent  out  to  capture.  I  was  a  soldier  and  should 
obey  orders  or — what?  I,  a  marshal  of  France,  was  a 
traitor.  I  drew  my  sword  to  order  my  men  to  fall  back 
into  line  when  I  looked  at  my  blade — strange  fate,  it 
was  the  sword  of  the  pyramids.  That  sword,  Armand, 
I  had  sworn  never  to  use  except  in  the  cause  of  Napo- 
leon, when  I  returned  to  Paris  from  Fontainebleau  after 
my  last  parting  with  the  man  who  stood  there  before  me. 
That  sword — who  can  explain  its  occult  force? — had 
remained  untouched  by  me  until  that  morning.  Singu- 
larly enough,  my  valet  had  passed  it  to  me  in  my  hur- 
ried departure  in  the  morning.  Still,  I  could  have 
sworn  that  it  was  in  Paris.  How  strange  and  inexplica- 
ble are  the  workings  of  fate!  The  sword  of  the  pyra- 
mids, no  matter  by  what  secret  forces  impelled,  was  with 
me.  Should  I  raise  it  against  my  emperor,  the  hero  of 
France?  No,  and  raising  my  voice  with  the  swelling 
thousands  I  burst  through  the  lines  with  the  glad  cry, 
Vive  I'Empereur!  upon  my  lips.  Beaching  the  emperor's 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  197 

side  I  extended  my  sword  and  said:  'Sire,  command 
me.'  That  paleface  lighted  up  with  joy  as  he  warmly 
embraced  me.  Did  I  do  wrong  ?  Let  future  generations 
decide,  when  they  shall  be  able  to  judge  dispassionately. 
For  myself  I  say  this :  I  obeyed  the  highest  and  best 
instincts  of  my  nature.  I  was  loyal  to  France  in  my 
actions.  How  could  I  serve  her  more  nobly  or  better 
than  by  the  side  of  the  great  chieftain  who  had  done  so 
much  for  her?  Never,  in  all  the  intervening  years  of 
exile,  have  I  suffered  one  pang  of  regret  for  the  princi- 
ples which  I  supported  at  that  time.  If,  in  a  strictly 
military  sense,  my  actions  were  disloyal,  as  long  as  I 
held  the  king's  commission,  I  say  this:  a  soldier's  first 
and  highest  duty  is  to  his  country.  All  my  life  I  had 
served  France  faithfully,  and  could  I  give  higher  proof 
of  my  love  for  her  than  by  placing  my  sword  under  the 
guidance  of  the  great  emperor  ?  No  matter,  my  son,  how 
the  world  may  look  upon  my  actions,  every  drop  of  blood 
in  my  veins  was  ready  to  be  shed  for  my  country — every 
heart-throb  was  for  France.  Surcharged  with  those  feel- 
ings, I  offered  my  sword  to  him  who  had  done  most  for 
my  beloved  country.  We  pressed  on  to  Paris  and 
entered  its  streets  with  flashing  sabers  and  clattering 
hoofs.  Down  we  swept  to  the  Tuilleries,  whence  the 
frightened  Louis  had  already  departed.  The  allied  foes 
of  France  were  amazed  at  the  action  of  the  emperor,  and 
at  once  took  steps  to  crush  him.  Soon  dark  plots  were 
formed  by  the  Bourbons.  Aided  by  foreign  foes,  they 
materially  weakened  the  influence  of  Napoleon.  Then 


198  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

again,  as  my  duties  brought  me  into  close  communion 
with  him,  I  saw  that  he  had  undergone  a  terrible  change. 
The  fact  that  his  wife,  the  Austrian,  had  deserted  him, 
and  thereby  prevented  his  seeing  his  son,  whom  he 
dearly  loved,  had  saddened  him.  It  was  only  at  times, 
when  under  the  influence  of  some  powerful  excitement, 
that  the  inner  soul  of  the  conqueror  illumined  his  care- 
worn features.  I  remember  when  I  was  recounting  some 
of  the  devilish  machinations  of  Talleyrand  and  how  he 
had  influenced  the  people  through  channels  that  were  at 
his  disposal,  that  the  emperor  suddenly  stopped  me.  He 
said:  'Enough,  marshal.  When  I  am  gone  and  the 
petty  jealousies  which  seem  to  have  inspired  enemity 
toward  me  shall  have  subsided,  then  will  the  people  of 
France  be  best  able  to  judge  of  my  true  intentions 
toward  her.  It  is  written  that  the  seed  which  I  have 
strewn  shall  bear  fruit  which  the  advanced  intellectual- 
ity of  the  French  people  will  be  best  able  to  enjoy  when 
the  feeling  of  passion  which  now  sweeps  over  the  land 
shall  have  subsided.  I  have  labored  for  France.  Me- 
thinks  at  times  that  my  mission  here  is  almost  fulfilled. 
Deserted  by  those  of  my  own  blood,  by  those  who  are 
bound  to  me  by  the  closest  ties ;  betrayed  by  those  who 
have  fattened  on  my  favors;  have  I  not  had  my  full 
share  of  glory  and  of  woe?'  Then  he  fell  into  deep 
thought,  with  a  settled  look  of  melancholy  upon  his 
features.  I  noticed  that  these  spells  of  depression  grew 
upon  him.  He  grew  moody,  sorrowful,  depressed.  I 
said  to  him:  'Sire,  you  must  arouse  yourself.  France 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  199 

leans  upon  you.'  His  reply  was:  'And,  Peter' — he  used 
to  call  me  Peter  at  times — 'she  now  leans  upon  a  broken 
staff.'  The  armies  of  the  countries  of  Europe  arrayed 
against  Napoleon  numbered  nearly  a  million  men.  It  was 
at  Quatre  Bras  where  I  encountered  Bliicher.  It  was  not 
my  first  meeting,  and  I  had  learned  to  respect  him  for  his 
soldierly  qualities  long  before  the  hot  Belgian  sun  shone 
upon  the  burnished  helmets  of  his  cuirassiers  in  that 
fateful  June.  We  continued  to  advance  to  prevent  his 
junction  with  the  English  general — Wellington — whom  I 
had  also  met  in  Spain. 

"Of  our  struggle  at  Ligny  and  Quatre  Bras — how  the 
emperor  himself  fell  upon  them  with  overwhelming  fury ; 
how  Wellington,  in  consequence  of  Bliicher 's  retreat,  fell 
back  to  Waterloo — I  shall  touch  lightly.  Dwell  upon 
those  final  struggles,  those  sanguinary  charges — the  first 
and  last  battles  that  I  ever  lost — I  cannot.  To  the  blood- 
red  field  of  Waterloo,  where  I  led  the  last  forlorn  hope, 
my  mind  will  turn  in  spite  of  all  I  can  do  to  prevent  it. 
There  come  trooping  up  before  me  visions  of  that  last 
great  combat.  As  I  write,  it  all  comes  back  to  me.  I 
can  see  the  emperor  as  he  came  dashing  down  and  said 
to  me :  'You  must  break  their  center  or  the  day  is  lost. ' 
The  old  guard  was  there,  the  flower  of  the  imperial  army, 
the  men  who  had  on  many  a  field  withstood  the  deadly 
leaden  hail.  With  nodding  plumes  and  flashing  sabers 
we  are  moving  across  the  plain.  At  the  sight  of  that 
soldierly  column  in  all  the  brilliant  panoply  of  war,  the 
English  cease  for  an  instant  their  death-dealing  batter* 


300  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

ies.  A  lull  in  the  storm,  and  the  next  moment  the  plain 
is  hail-swept,  carrying  to  earth  by  the  hundreds  the 
very  flower  of  the  French  army.  On  I  Do  they  falter  ? 
No — true  Frenchmen,  up  to  the  very  muzzle  of  the  guns 
they  move.  They  reel,  stagger  back — flesh  and  blood 
cannot  stand  against  that  awful  rain  from  close-shotted 
guns.  Back,  for  France.  Back  they  turn.  Fresh  men 
press  on  and  fill  up  the  emptied  ranks.  What  is  that 
from  over  that  low  ridge?  A  long  line  of  men.  They 
wear  glittering  helmets.  I  have  seen  them  before.  They 
are  Bliicher's,  and  thirty  thousand  strong.  Stand  your 
ground,  men — and  now  for  the  last  charge  of  the  old 
guard.  We  reel,  we  stagger  back.  What  is  that? 
Fresh  cavalry  on  our  right  flank;  and  Bliicher's  troops 
in  our  front !  Steady,  men — Grouchy  will  be  here  to  help 
us.  Soldiers  of  France,  stand  as  you  stood  at  Austerlitz ! 
Ah,  God!  we  are  moving  backward.  Where  are  Grou- 
chy's  fresh  troops  to  aid  us?  Not  here,  and  the  time  is 
long  past.  Another  halt — another  horse ;  four  did  you 
say  have  gone  down  under  me  ?  What  matter — this  is 
our  last  stand,  soldiers  of  the  empire.  Shoulder  to 
shoulder,  close  up  the  ranks;  thinning!  Well,  never 
show  the  enemy  the  back  of  a  Frenchman.  The  tide  is 
strong;  we  can  stem  it;  but  where  is  Grouchy?  Don't 
make  a  rout ;  die  where  you  stand !  Still  we  stagger — 
stumble  backward — we  reel.  Waterloo  is  lost! 

"  'Tis  over,  and  never  can  I  dwell  upon  the  time  when 
the  eagles  of  Napoleon  settled  down  forever  on  the 
empurpled  plains  of  Waterloo  without  the  shadowy  forms 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  201 

of  the  struggling  hosts  appearing  before  me.  With 
awful  distinctness  these  visions  appear  to  me  on  each 
recurring  anniversary  day  of  Napoleon's  last  struggle  for 
the  land  he  loved.  The  specters  of  that  battle,  aroused 
from  their  eternal  slumber,  pass  by  me  in  shadowy 
legions,  as  they  wheel  on  into  line  for  the  last  charge. 
I  see  the  emperor,  as  he  looked  when  I  reached  him  with 
all  that  was  left  of  my  gallant  troops — heroes  of  a  hun- 
dred fights !  He  sat  upon  his  white  charger,  and  in  spite 
of  my  terrible  excitement  I  saw  that  he  was  utterly 
broken  down.  I  said:  'Sire,  we  could  win  even  now  if 
Grouchy  were  only  here  with  his  fresh  troops. '  To  this 
he  vouchsafed  no  reply,  but  said  in  the  most  saddened 
tones  that  I  have  ever  heard  him  use :  'It  is  over,  and 
now  for  death, '  and  he  plunged  forward  to  hurl  himself 
upon  the  guns  which  were  sweeping  toward  us.  It  was 
only  by  force  that  we  restrained  him.  Then  back  we 
fell  from  Waterloo,  beaten  and  dispirited — defeated  by 
the  failure  of  Grouchy  to  arrive.  On  the  way  to  Paris 
the  emperor  scarcely  spoke.  He  seemed  benumbed  by 
some  strange  influence  which  he  made  no  attempt  to 
shake  off.  Once  I  asked  if  he  had  orders  for  me  to 
carry  out  in  reference  to  his  future  plans.  He  raised 
his  head  and  said  listlessly  'I  have  no  plans  for  the 
future,  Peter.'  'Peter  the  Bed,'  was  the  name  I  had 
gained  at  Marengo  when  my  hat  had  fallen  in  a  charge 
and  my  long  red  hair  waved  like  a  banner  behind  me  in 
the  charge.  'Then,  sire,'  I  replied,  'if  you  have  no 
plans  I,  your  general,  would  ask  of  what  uae  is  your 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

army?'  'Of  no  use.  I  am  through  with  armies  for- 
ever. '  I  thought  some  action  on  my  part  might  awaken 
him  from  the  lethargy  into  which  he  had  fallen.  There- 
fore I  said:  'Then,  sire/  drawing  my  sword,  'if  you 
have  no  use  for  the  army  I  then  can  have  no  further 
use  for  my  word/  I  broke  it  in  twain  across  my 
knee. 

"The  action  aroused  him  slightly,  and  he  said: 
'Broken,  like  my  hopes.'  I  looked  at  the  two  pieces  of 
my  weapon  which  I  held  in  my  hand,  and  a  thrill  of  joy 
swept  over  me.  I  had  performed  the  action  quickly  and 
impulsively,  and  the  minute  after  regretted  what  I  sup- 
posed to  be  the  destruction  of  the  historic  blade  which 
had  shone  on  many  fields.  I  had  not  changed  my  uni- 
form since  the  day  of  the  final  battle.  I  had  on  the  pre- 
ceding eve  dropped  on  my  couch  for  a  few  minutes'  rest, 
when  I  was  suddenly  aroused  by  a  member  of  my 
staff. 

"The  communication  which  he  delivered  made  my  pres- 
ence imperative  at  a  distant  point.  I  at  once  donned  my 
coat  and  sword,  which  I  had  thrown  off  before  lying 
down,  mounted  my  steed,  and  was  off.  As  was  the  usual 
practice  among  officers  of  high  rank,  I  had  among  my 
effects  two  or  three  swords  of  about  the  same  length  and 
weight,  and  in  the  darkness  of  the  tent  I  had  not  buckled 
on  the  sword  of  the  pyramids,  but  one  fashioned  after 
it. 

"As  I  did  not  return  again  to  my  quarters  I  wore  the 
same  sword  through  all  that  fateful  combat  when  the 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  203 

tri-color  of  France  went  down  in  the  gloom  of  defeat.  I 
repeat,  I  was  glad  for  two  reasons ;  the  sword  I  prized — 
it  linked  me  with  a  glorious  past  and  its  history  charmed 
me.  Again,  while  wearing  it  I  had  never  lost  a 
battle. 

"Now,  Armand,  do  not  understand  me  to  say  that  had  I 
worn  the  sword  Waterloo  would  have  resulted  differently. 
No,  not  that ;  for  while  I  am  willing  to  acknowledge  that 
I  may  possess  a  modicum  of  that  which  is  termed  super- 
stition, so  natural  to  soldiers,  yet  I  cannot  attribute  the 
defeat  at  Waterloo  to  the  fact  that  the  sword  of  the 
pyramids  was  not  in  my  hand.  No,  Waterloo  was  lost 
because  Grouchy  failed  either  through  stupidity,  igno- 
rance, or  treachery  to  support  us.  I  could  not  have 
fought  better.  But  still  it  was  pleasant  at  that  moment 
to  know  that  my  historic  blade  did  not  lead  me  to 
defeat.  Perhaps  those  who  are  versed  in  the  mysticism 
of  the  Orient  can  best  explain  why  my  feelings  were 
joyful,  as  I  repaired  at  once  to  my  quarters  and  buckled 
my  favorite  sword  upon  my  person.  My  joy,  however, 
was  short-lived.  Immersed  in  intrigue,  the  plotters 
Talleyrand  and  Fouche  sat  in  Paris.  Their  control  of 
the  two  chambers  of  the  Legislature  was  unquestionable, 
I  saw.  Shortly  after  our  arrival  Napoleon,  owing  to 
certain  misrepresentations,  abdicated  the  throne  in  favor 
of  his  son.  The  lawmakers  accepted  the  provision 
which  he  made  for  his  heir;  but  through  the  influence 
of  the  arch  plotter  the  allies  proceeded  to  the  restoration 
of  the  Bourbons,  not  granting  the  French  people  the 


204  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

right  of  selecting  their  own  ruler.  After  his  cruel  be- 
trayal by  those  to  whom  he  gave  himself  up,  there  is 
little  to  say.  The  last  time  I  saw  him  it  was  for  a  brief 
moment.  He  said:  'It  is  destiny,  Peter,  destiny. 
These  hungry  wolves  are  clamoring  for  my  blood;  per- 
haps it  is  well  for  them  to  taste  it. ' 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  205 


CHAPTER  XTV. 

THE   DEAD   ALIVE. 

"Now,  my  son,  I  shall  recount  an  episode  which  his- 
tory fails  to  record.  While  the  allies,  having  removed 
their  dreaded  foe,  were  wrangling  over  the  slices  of  ter- 
ritory which  they  were  to  cut  from  unhappy  France,  and 
the  enormous  costs  of  the  war  which  bleeding  France 
must  pay,  I  was  thrown  into  prison  on  the  charge  of  dis- 
loyalty— treason.  I,  who  had  fought  a  hundred  battles 
for  France  and  not  one  against  her,  was  now  under  the 
odious  charge  of  treason.  Of  course,  I  had  a  mock  trial 
given  me,  and  I  shall  never  forget  that  day  when  the  men 
appointed  by  those  who  desired  me  out  of  the  world  con- 
demned me,  solely  because  I  was  loyal  to  the  emperor.  I 
can  recall  the  sneering  look  upon  the  face  of  Marmont  aa 
he  entered  the  room  where  sat  the  tribunal  which  was  to 
condemn  me  to  death.  To  the  infinite  credit  of  my  old 
comrade  at  arms,  Marshal  Massena,  I  wish  to  say  that  not- 
withstanding we  had  long  been  estranged,  yet  he  refused 
absolutely  to  sit  with  the  council  which  condemned  me, 
and  denounced  it  as  illegal,  a  statement  which  brought 
down  upon  him  the  hatred  of  the  Bourbonists.  Then 
there  was  Wellington — England's  Iron  Duke,  the  man 


206  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

whose  sword  placed  the  trembling  Bourbon  back  on  the 
throne ;  he  openly  proclaimed  that  the  council  was  abso- 
lutely illegal,  and  that  I  had  acted  entirely  from  patriotic 
impulses.  Still,  arguments  would  not  avail;  my  blood 
alone  would  suffice ;  and  the  hungry  appetites  of  the  fol- 
lowers of  Louis  must  be  appeased.  I  was  asked  if  I  had 
anything  to  say  in  defense  of  my  actions.  I  arose  and 
said:  'Nothing  but  this:  I  have  always  fought  for  France 
and  will  die  for  her. '  The  sentence  of  death  was  passed 
upon  me ;  I  knew  this  would  be.  After  I  had  been  found 
guilty  I  was  removed  to  Luxembourg  prison,  from  which 
place  I  was  to  be  taken  out  and  shot — by  the  order  of  the 
king — the  ruler  of  the  country  which  I  had  served  so 
long.  It  is  true  when  the  news  of  my  sentence  became 
general,  that  there  was  almost  a  tidal  wave  of  sentiment 
in  my  favor.  All  the  efforts  in  my  behalf  seemed  useless. 
The  king  and  the  council  decided  that  I  must  die. 
Wellington,  himself  a  daring  soldier,  became  interested 
in  my  case.  He  called  upon  Louis  at  his  palace  and 
requested  of  him  a  favor.  Louis  asked  of  what  nature. 
Wellington  replied,  that  I  be  restored  to  France.  The  king 
turned  coldly  away  without  replying.  The  day  was 
set  for  my  execution.  The  date  was  December  7th. 
The  year  1815.  Death  itself  had  no  terrors  for  me.  I 
had  in  a  sense  become  calloused  to  fear.  My  life  had 
been  such  that  I  cared  but  little  for  the  final  exit.  But 
the  manner  of  death !  to  be  shot  as  a  traitor  to  France ! 
I  false  to  my  country !  Must  my  name  be  so  recorded 
on  the  pages  of  history  ?  These  thoughts,  together  with 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  207 

my  imprisonment — for  I  was  accustomed  to  life  in  camp 
and  field — made  me  very  miserable  indeed.  My  wretched- 
ness was  accentuated  by  the  reports  which  reached  me  of 
the  treatment  accorded  the  emperor  in  his  island  prison. 
So  wretched  had  my  existence  become  that  I  longed  for 
the  day  of  my  execution  to  arrive.  The  days  dragged 
heavily  and  painfully  along,  and  in  the  narrow  confines  of 
my  cell  I  paced,  weary  and  heartsore.  At  last  there  was 
only  one  day  between  me  and  the  solution  of  the  mystery 
of  the  hereafter.  I  had  written  farewell  letters  to  some 
of  my  old  comrades  of  bygone  days — the  days  when  our 
hearts  pulsed  with  the  strength  borne  of  war.  I  had 
among  others  written  a  farewell  letter  to  my  beloved 
leader — that  leader  who  was  then  suffering  indignities 
heaped  upon  him  by  England's  officers  at  St.  Helena.  I 
had  finished,  and  the  feeling  engendered  by  penning 
those  lines  made  me  sorrowful.  I  thought  of  the  bitter 
contrast  of  the  present  with  the  glory  of  the  few  years 
fled.  The  driftwood  of  years  floated  by  me,  and  I  took  a 
fleeting  glance  at  each  fragment  as  it  went  swirling  past. 
Then  I  thought  of  my  father's  dream — the  prediction 
that  my  future  would  be  darkened.  Could  my  father 
have  parted  the  mystic  curtains  of  the  future  and  fore- 
seen this?  My  mind  plainly  recalled  the  time  that  he 
related  it.  As  I  sat  there  with  bowed  head,  and  heart 
that  was  heavy,  I  wondered  can  dreams  be  true — are  we 
foredoomed?  If  so  what  strange,  mysterious  forces 
envelop  us? — forces  we  fain  would  analyze  and  cannot. 
Ah,  well,  all  this  is  strange  and  inexplicable.  Why 


208  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

should  I  bother  about  it?  To-morrow  I  shall  have  solved 
the  great  problem.  Now  let  me  turn  my  attention  toward 
the  disposition  of  my  property.  After  I  had  completed 
that  I  leaned  back  in  my  chair  and  gave  a  sigh  of  relief, 
and  said  half-aloud,  'And  now  for  death.  I  will  at  least 
die  in  the  uniform  of  a  marshal. '  I  laid  out  my  full  uni- 
form and  then  looked  at  my  sword,  which  was  hanging  on 
the  wall.  Being  an  officer  of  rank,  I  was  granted  some 
extra  privileges  at  Luxembourg.  I  gazed  at  my  blade ;  I 
saw  the  shifting  lights  of  the  opal,  which  seemed  to  glow 
with  some  devilish  life.  Then,  like  a  lightning  stroke, 
it  flashed  across  me.  My  God — the  sultan's  curse  !  The 
fateful  sword  of  Bajazet  had  maintained  its  reputation 
through  the  centuries,  and  I,  who  had  looked  upon  its 
tradition  with  much  skepticism,  was  to  be  executed  as 
were  its  former  wearers !  For  an  instant  the  superstitious 
dread  which  my  discovery  had  awakened  almost  over- 
powered me,  and  I  seated  myself  in  my  chair,  while  the 
cold  perspiration  seemed  to  ooze  at  every  pore.  I  tore 
open  the  letter  which  I  had  addressed  to  Napoleon,  and 
added  the  words:  'When  I  am  shot  I  shall  wear  the 
sword  of  the  pyramids. '  Napoleon  himself  had  ordered 
to  execution  the  man  who  wore  the  sword  before  me,  and 
who  told  him  of  its  strange  career.  I  had  hardly  com- 
pleted the  postscript  to  the  emperor  when  the  creaking 
of  the  door  behind  me  broke  the  train  of  occult  thoughts 
in  which  my  mind  was  plunged.  It  was  the  governor  of 
the  prison,  who  announced  to  me  the  fact  that  the  exact 
hour  of  my  execution  would  be  nine  o'clock  in  the  morn- 


THE   SWORD   OF   THE   PYRAMIDS.  209 

ing,  on  the  plains  of  Crenelle,  just  outside  the  city. 
Then  the  door  swung  back  and  I  was  left  alone  with  my 
thoughts.  Shortly  after,  I  was  again  aroused  by  the 
opening  of  the  door  and  the  ushering  in  of  a  man  clad  in 
a  long  military  cloak,  who  was  admitted  as  the  attendant 
said,  'by  the  permission  of  the  governor.'  The  door 
closed  and  the  man  advanced  and  threw  off  his  cloak  as  I 
rushed  forward  to  greet  him.  That  man  had  been  an 
officer  in  my  'Terrible  Fourth,'  an  organization  which, 
the  emperor  said,  was  to  him  what  the  Third  Legion  was 
to  Caesar.  That  man  had  faced  death  by  my  side  from 
Marengo  to  Waterloo.  He  was  with  me  when  the  fatal 
tide  bore  us,  broken  and  shattered,  from  that  last  gory 
field.  He  was  by  my  side  when  the  Old  Guard  made  the 
last  grand  charge.  He  was  the  man  whom  you  have 
been  taught  to  call  uncle — the  man  whom  you  have  be- 
lieved to  be  my  brother — Pierre  Breton.  He  was  at  that 
time  an  officer  under  the  king,  who  was  in  ignorance  of 
the  close  friendship  which  existed  between  us.  You  may 
imagine  that  it  was  with  great  joy  that  I  greeted  Colonel 
Breton,  who  after  a  few  words  said  to  me :  'I  am  the 
bearer  of  important  news.  The  king,  having  no  knowl- 
edge of  the  strong  ties  which  exist  between  us,  has  issued 
to  me  instructions  to  take  your  execution  in  charge,  both 
as  to  time  and  place.  It  is  now  announced  on  the  walls 
of  Paris  that  it  will  take  place  at  nine  o'clock  on  the 
plains  of  Grenelle. ' 

'"I  have  been  so  informed  by  the  governor.     You 
have  accepted  the  commission  from  the  king?'  I  asked, 


210  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

wondering  that  my  old  friend  should  not  demur  at  the 
instructions  to  supervise  the  killing  of  his  general. 

"'I  have  accepted  gladly,  nay,  joyfully,'  he  replied, 
'and  have  already  given  to  my  captain  the  names  of  the 
men  who  are  to  carry  out  my  orders. ' 

"  'You  act  quickly,  you  always  did,'  I  said  slowly. 

"  'I  have  acted  quickly  in  this  case,  as  there  is  but 
little  time  left  me,  and  I  may  as  well  notify  you  that  I 
also  have  changed  the  hour  of  your  execution  to  an 
earlier  one. ' 

"I  looked  at  him  amazed. 

"He  continued:  'I  have  not  only  changed  the  time,  but 
the  location  as  well ;  and  I  hereby  notify  you  that  in- 
structions have  already  been  issued  by  me  to  proceed  with 
your  execution  at  seven  o'clock  to-morrow  morning. 
The  place  will  be  in  the  gardens  in  the  rear  of  this 
prison. ' 

"I  was  astonished,  and  said: 

"  'I  will  hardly  require  breakfast,  as  the  time  is  abbre- 
viated, and  I  shall  not  have  the  opportunity  of  a  ride 
before  my  body  receives  the  bullets. ' 

"  'On  the  contrary,  I  think  it  advisable  for  you  to  eat 
a  hearty  breakfast,  that  you  may  be  in  readiness  to  under- 
take quite  a  journey,'  continued  Colonel  Breton,  as  he 
drew  nearer  and  added  in  a  low  tone:  'My  appointment 
is  most  providential.  Do  you  think,  my  dear  general,  that 
I  could  shoot  you  down  ?  No ;  neither  does  your  eternal 
bivouac  begin  to-morrow  if  Pierre  Breton  can  prevent  it. 
Everyone  in  Paris  will  read  that  your  execution  will  take 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  211 

place  at  Grenelle  at  nine  to-morrow.  Hence  thousands 
will  be  drawn  there  out  of  curiosity,  and  there  will  be  no 
unusual  gathering  near  here ;  for  that  reason  I  have  decided 
that  the  execution  shall  take  place  here,  while  the  throngs 
are  pursuing  their  way  to  Grenelle.  I  have  notified  the 
governor  that  a  detachment  of  my  men  will  be  here  at 
twenty  minutes  of  seven  and  that  you  must  be  delivered  to 
them.  He  acknowledged  my  authority  when  I  showed 
him  the  king's  seal.  At  the  same  time  I  told  him  that  I, 
personally,  would  call  upon  you  to  convey  the  news  of  the 
change  of  time.  The  men  are  twelve  in  number,  have 
served  long  under  you,  and  can  be  depended  upon. 
They  will  be  in  charge  of  an  officer  who  will  carry  the 
news  personally  to  the  king  that  he  saw  you  fall.  The 
official  records  will  also  contain  his  indorsement  that  you 
were  executed  according  to  the  sentence  passed  upon  you 
by  the  council.  The  volley  will  be  fired ;  you  will  fall ; 
a  physician  will  certify  to  the  fact  of  your  death ;  your 
friend,  young  General  D'Arville,  will  at  once  claim  your 
body ;  and  as  for  its  disposition,  I  shall  leave  that  with 
him/ 

"I  looked  at  Colonel  Breton  in  a  bewildered  way  and 
stammered : 

"  'Then  you  mean ' 

"  'That  I  haven't  a  man  under  me  who  can  shoot  suffi- 
ciently straight  to  kill  his  general.  The  shots  will  be 
fired.  They  will  go  over  your  head;  but  you  are  to  fall 
and  feign  death.  You  will  be  examined  by  a  physician 
who  will  testify  as  to  the  number  of  bullets  which  have 


212  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

entered  your  body.  In  the  meanwhile  General  D'Arville 
will  have  made  arrangements  for  your  immediate  trans- 
fer. You  will  be  placed  where  some  newspaper  men  can 
inspect  your  remains.  You  will  see  how  this  is  arranged 
later.  But  in  the  event  that  any  suspicion  should  subse- 
quently be  aroused,  we  can  point  to  the  official  records, 
the  physician's  certificate,  and  to  the  lynx-eyed  searchers 
of  the  Paris  press  who  have  seen  your  remains,  after  the 
execution.  We  have  omitted  nothing  which  shall  inter- 
fere with  the  successful  carrying  out  of  our  plans :  even 
my  appointment  was  brought  about  by  foreign  influence. 
You  know  the  influence  of  Wellington  is  far  reaching. 
What  we  could  not  obtain  from  the  king  we  have  accom- 
plished without  his  knowledge ;  for  by  his  own  appoint- 
ment has  he  signed  your  lease  of  life.  My  appointment 
came  late,  and  it  was  I  who  announced  that  you  would  be 
shot  at  Grenelle,  simply  to  throw  all  the  king's  spies  off 
the  scent,  and  turn  the  morbid  curiosity  seekers  there  as 
well.  You  will  be  officially  dead  at  the  hour  I  have 
named  in  the  morning.  You  will  be  buried — that  is,  the 
casket  which  is  supposed  to  contain  your  mutilated  re- 
mains will  be  laid  away  to-morrow  night  in  the  cemetery 
of  Pere  la  Chaise.  More  you  shall  learn  from  the  gen- 
eral. I  shall  see  you  before  your  departure  from  Paris. 
I  shall,  with  those  who  are  in  the  secret,  see  that  none  of 
our  plans  are  disarranged.  You  can  depend  upon  the 
men.  Now  I  hear  the  jailer  coming.  I  told  him  to 
report  at  this  time,'  looking  at  his  watch;  'I  will  see  you 
to-morrow  after  the  execution. '  Before  I  had  an  oppor- 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  213 

tunity  to  recover  from  my  astonishment  the  door  had 
closed  upon  the  retreating  form  of  Colonel  Breton. 

"The  whole  change  of  situation  for  awhile  dazzled  me. 
I  cannot  think  now  that  I  was  so  highly  elated  over 
the  prospect  of  living  as  I  was  over  the  idea  of  cheating 
the  king,  Talleyrand,  and  others  who  had  conspired 
against  the  emperor.  It  gave  me  the  keenest  delight  to 
think  that  at  some  future  day  I  might  reappear  in  Paris 
and  witness  their  discomfiture  when  they  saw  me,  whom 
they  supposed  to  be  rotting  under  the  sod  in  Pere  la 
Chaise.  At  that  time  I  had  no  doubt  but  that  I  should 
again  wield  my  sword  in  behalf  of  France.  After  the 
excitement  and  strain  of  the  day  came  reaction.  I  flung 
myself  upon  my  couch  and  was  soon  buried  in  deep  slum- 
ber, from  which  I  was  awakened  by  the  pounding  of  the 
jailer  upon  the  door  of  my  cell.  With  him  was  the  gov- 
ernor, who  had  himself  come  to  tell  me  to  prepare  to  make 
my  earthly  exit.  He  entered  with  a  priest  who  had  come 
at  the  wish,  he  said,  of  Colonel  Breton,  who  knew  that  I 
preferred  to  have  the  last  rites  of  the  church  performed 
before  my  demise,  in  my  cell  rather  than  where  I  was  to 
be  shot.  Breton  has  overlooked  nothing,  I  thought,  as 
the  good  father  knelt  in  prayer  while  I  finished  dressing. 
In  a  few  minutes,  while  I  was  on  bended  knee  with  tha 
priest,  the  governor  interrupted  us  with  the  statement 
that  the  guard  were  outside  in  waiting.  "We  arose,  and  I 
quickly  buckled  on  my  sword,  the  one  with  the  fateful 
history,  and  passed  out.  The  governor,  Alphonse  Badet, 
himself  had  been  a  soldier  of  Napoleon,  and  was  much 


214  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

affected  as  he  bade  me  farewell  at  the  gates  of  the  prison. 
I  saw  the  men  plainly  as  we  moved  down  toward  the  gar- 
dens in  the  rear.  I  saw  also  that  in  spite  of  the  early  hour 
there  were  a  few  pedestrains  abroad  who  seemed  inter- 
ested in  our  procession.  We  had  taken  our  positions.  I 
stood  with  my  back  against  the  wall  in  Luxembourg  Gar- 
dens. The  file  of  men,  twelve,  stood  in  front  of  me.  No 
sign  of  recognition  had  been  flashed  between  us.  The 
few  on-lookers  were  gazing  upon  a  genuine  execution. 
The  officer  stood  a  few  feet  on  one  side  the  file,  and  with 
him  was  the  surgeon.  The  officer  came  and  courteously 
asked  if  I  wished  to  be  blindfolded.  Having  received  a 
negative  reply,  he  returned  to  his  place.  The  bells  in 
stately  Notre  Dame  boomed  the  hour  of  seven  when  the 
preparatory  words  were  given ;  and  while  the  last  stroke 
of  the  bell  was  still  reverberating  the  sharp  words  of  the 
officer  rang  out — 'Fire!'  Out  of  the  twelve  black  tubes 
into  which  I  gazed  leaped  a  flash  of  light,  and  I  fell  face 
down  upon  the  grass,  rigid  and  firm.  The  surgeon  knelt 
beside  me.  As  he  ran  his  hands  quickly  over  my  face, 
and  through  my  hair,  he  smeared  thereon  a  quantity  of 
blood  from  a  small  receptacle  which  he  had  concealed 
about  his  person.  Bloody  and  rigid,  I  was  quickly 
placed  on  a  stretcher,  a  sheet  thrown  over  me,  and  I  was 
hurriedly  conveyed  to  a  covered  vehicle  which  was  in 
waiting  outside  the  grounds.  After  a  short  ride  the 
wagon  stopped,  and  I  was  taken  out  and  carried  up  the 
steps  of  a  building,  which,  I  subsequently  learned,  was 
the  Maternity  Hospital.  My  friends  thought  it  wiser  to 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  215 

take  me  first  to  a  public  building  rather  than  to  the  home 
of  any  one.  I  was  quickly  placed  in  a  private  room  where 
candles  were  dimly  burning.  In  this  room  was  the 
casket  in  which  it  was  supposed  I  would  soon  be  lowered 
to  my  final  resting-place  beneath  the  sods  in  the  Pere  la 
Chaise.  Into  this  I  was  placed  by  my  friends,  the  blood 
was  wiped  from  my  face,  and  plasters  were  placed  where 
the  bullets  were  supposed  to  have  entered.  My  face  was 
powdered  to  give  it  a  pallid  effect.  The  candles  were 
placed  at  a  distance  where  they  threw  a  wan  light  across 
my  face.  The  whole  arrangement  was  dramatic  and  well 
calculated  to  produce  the  impression  desired.  By  this 
time  the  news  of  my  execution  had  spread  abroad  in 
Paris.  The  reporters  for  the  press  quickly  sought  the 
hospital.  They  were  admitted  to  the  room  where  I  was 
lying  in  apparent  death.  Near  me  stood  my  friends  that 
they  might  prevent  any  possible  discovery.  It  was  their 
wish  to  give  the  most  open  publicity  to  the  affair  in  order 
that  the  suspicions  of  my  enemies  might  not  be  aroused. 
One  reporter  came  very  near  me,  judging  from  his  voice, 
and  said:  'This  day's  work  is  a  blot  upon  the  escutcheon 
of  France.  The  soul  which  dwelt  within  yonder  garment 
of  clay  was  true  to  France. '  It  was  with  difficulty  that  I 
suppressed  an  exclamation.  Then  Colonel  Breton 
entered,  whom  I  recognized  by  his  voice.  He  said,  loud 
enough  for  me  to  hear:  'The  majesty  of  the  law  has  been 
upheld;  the  decree  of  the  council  has  been  fulfilled;  the 
deceased  lying  yonder  requested  of  me,  as  a  last  favor, 
that  as  soon  as  possible  after  his  ignominious  death  his 


216  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

remains  be  lowered  from  view  forever.  It  is  therefore  in 
accordance  with  these  expressed  wishes  that  I  request 
that  the  lid  of  yonder  coffin  be  placed  thereon  and  the 
body  quickly  removed  to  the  house  of  General  D'Arville, 
with  whom  the  dead  soldier  was  on  terms  of  the  greatest 
intimacy.  The  final  interment  occurs  to-night  at  Pere  la 
Chaise. '  The  lid  of  the  coffin  was  quickly  screwed  on. 
In  it  I  saw  there  had  been  made  many  perforations  which 
enabled  me  to  obtain  a  sufficient  amount  of  fresh  air. 
The  journey  to  the  home  of  General  D'Arville  was  soon 
made,  and  after  the  coffin  had  been  deposited  in  a  room 
specially  prepared  for  its  occupancy,  the  general  himself 
removed  the  lid  and  assisted  me  to  arise  from  my  close 
and  loathsome  quarters.  I  was  much  exhausted  after  the 
terrible  strain  to  which  I  had  been  subjected.  Soon, 
however,  I  regained  my  composure  and  watched  with 
interest  the  placing  of  a  substance  in  my  recent  home  of 
a  weight  which  approximated  my  own,  in  order  to 
deceive  the  men  who  were  to  lower  th€  grewsorne  recep- 
tacle in  the  mold.  So  well  had  all  the  details  been 
attended  to  that  there  was  not  the  slightest  reason  to  think 
suspicion  would  be  aroused,  or  that  any  investigation  of 
the  coffin  would  be  called  for  that  day.  My  friends  had 
procured  for  me  a  disguise,  and  when  I  had  donned  it  my 
dearest  friend  would  not  have  guessed  that  underneath 
the  coat  of  the  provincial  merchant  beat  the  heart  of  the 
marshal  which  was  supposed  to  have  been  cut  in  twain 
by  bullets  on  that  December  morning  at  Luxembourg. 
My  friends  had  held  many  councils  as  to  what  I  had  best 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  217 

do.  Some  counseled  that  I  should  remain  in  France, 
and  in  secret  form  combinations  against  my  enemies,  and 
at  the  right  time  proclaim  my  true  name,  which  would  be 
a  tower  of  strength  in  the  cause  of  the  people.  Others 
said  that  it  was  not  safe  for  me  to  remain  in  the  land  I 
had  fought  for.  When  I  learned  of  their  arguments 
I,  after  thanking  them  warmly  for  saving  my  life  at  great 
risks,  said  to  them  that  I  was  a  soldier — that  while  I  could 
plan  and  execute  deeds  upon  the  field  of  battle  I  could 
not  plan  and  plot  in  secret.  I  was  of  a  nature  easily 
excited  and  inflammable,  so  that  I  could  not  be  trusted,  in 
the  trying  positions  in  which  I  might  be  placed,  to  pre- 
serve my  incognito.  Under  terrible  excitement  I  should 
be  at  least  liable  to  detection.  Besides,  my  figure  was 
striking,  and  would  be  easily  recognized;  and  then, 
while  I  could  dye  my  hair,  I  could  not  change  the  color 
of  my  eyes.  In  fact,  I  said  that  it  would  be  impossible 
for  me  to  remain  in  France,  a  menace  to  the  safety  of 
those  who  had  sacrificed  much  to  save  me  from  the  king's 
vengeance.  It  was  decided,  therefore,  that  I  should  leave 
Paris  on  that  night.  Accordingly,  when  the  men  were 
lowering  the  coffin  bearing  my  name  in  the  cold  earth,  I 
was  speeding  toward  Bordeaux,  clad  in  the  garb  of  a 
provincial  merchant,  with  my  red  hair  dyed  a  glossy 
black.  It  was  decided  that  I  should  embark  from  that 
city  to  America.  My  first  tnought  was  New  Orleans, 
where  I  could  live  among  French-speaking  people.  But 
then  in  that  city  I  concluded  there  would  be  much  danger 
of  discovery.  Hence  I  embarked  for  the  port  of  Charles- 


218  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

ton,  South  Carolina.  After  a  short  residence  in  that 
city  I  took  a  ship  for  New  York,  where  I  had  the  oppor- 
tunity of  meeting  some  of  my  former  comrades.  There 
were  but  few  in  the  secret  of  my  supposed  death ;  but  in 
some  way  the  sleuthhounds  of  Fouche  had  overheard  a 
few  words  accidentally  dropped.  This  incident  had  been 
reported  to  the  king,  and  after  awhile  the  coffin  which 
was  believed  to  contain  my  remains  was  dug  up  and 
opened.  The  startling  news  was  brought  to  Louis  that 
my  remains  were  not  there.  My  friends  had  in  some  way 
learned  of  the  actions  of  the  king's  followers,  and  the 
Paris  papers  contained  a  sensational  account  of  the 
exhumation  of  my  body  by  midnight  ghouls,  and  its  sub- 
sequent sale  to  a  medical  college.  Still  this  did  not  lay 
the  suspicions  of  my  enemies ;  but  they  could  unearth  no 
positive  proof  that  the  order  of  the  court  was  not  carried 
out.  However,  the  power  of  gold  will  accomplish  won- 
derful results,  and  one  day  the  emissaries  of  the  king 
came  in  contact  with  a  man  who  was  tempted  by  the 
alluring  offer  which  they  made.  He  betrayed  to  them  as 
much  as  he  knew  of  that  dramatic  episode  in  my  life. 
Colonel  Breton  and  General  D'ArvilLe  learned  of  the 
action  to  be  taken  in  time  to  escape  from  France  before 
their  arrest,  but  never  again  while  the  Bourbons  reigned 
in  France  did  they  set  foot  on  the  soil  they  loved  so  well. 
Against  the  others  there  could  not  be  collected  sufficient 
evidence  to  prove  connection  with  my  case.  And  still 
again,  there  was  no  evidence  to  prove  conclusively  that  I 
had  escaped  death  at  the  hands  of  the  soldiers  in  that 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  219 

morning  at  Luxembourg.  In  the  events  which  came 
crowding  on,  the  interest  in  the  story  relating  to  my 
escape  gradually  became  diminished  as  far  as  the  public 
was  concerned.  Still  all  the  while  the  subtle  cunning  of 
those  close  in  the  councils  of  the  king  was  exercised  to 
discover  me,  if  alive,  in  any  part  of  the  world.  The  entire 
machinery  of  the  government  was  used,  but  not  one  trace 
of  me  could  be  brought  to  light.  The  greater  part  of  my 
property  was  confiscated.  Still  I  had  ample  for  my 
humble  needs.  I  was  joined  later  by  Colonel  Breton, 
who  was  exiled  from  France  for  his  daring  in  freeing  me 
from  the  venomous  plotting  of  Talleyrand.  I  had  been 
attached  to  him  before  his  sacrifice  for  me,  and  now  that 
he  had  joined  me  we  were  companions  in  exile.  We  be- 
came bound  to  each  other  by  the  strongest  ties.  We 
lived  in  both  the  Carolinas  and  in  Virginia.  We  were 
always  anticipating  that  something  might  occur  in 
France  which  should  hurl  the  Bourbons  from  power. 
Charles  X. ,  like  all  of  his  Bourbon  line,  had  a  mania  for 
despotic  rule ;  and — poor  blind  fool — he  could  not  read 
those  lessons  written  in  French  blood  upon  the  pages  of 
history.  By  his  encroachments  upon  the  liberties  of  the 
people  he  kindled  the  second  Revolution,  which  even- 
tually swept  him  into  exile  and  carried  Louis  Philippe  on 
to  the  throne  of  France.  It  was  Charles  who  reigned  when 
I  received  the  sad  news  of  the  emperor's  death.  With 
the  man  who  had  made  France  great  cold  in  death  in  his 
island  home,  it  seemed  that  there  was  little  left  for  us. 
With  the  death  of  Napoleon  our  last  hope  was  gone.  We 


220  THE  SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

had  then  settled  down  in  the  village  near  here.  I  was 
following  the  profession  of  school-teacher.  I  needed  some- 
thing to  occupy  my  mind.  Therefore  I  had  chosen  to 
take  a  local  professorship.  The  people  here  had  some- 
how begun  to  suspect  that  I  was  not  just  what  I  pre- 
tended. I  was  in  the  schoolroom  when  the  news  was 
brought  of  the  emperor's  death.  Strong  soldier  that  I 
was  I  was  completely  overcome  by  the  sad  message.  My 
actions  at  that  time  only  seemed  to  create  new  interest  in 
my  personality,  and  there  were  some  who  endeavored  to 
trace  my  career  in  this  country.  In  small  settlements 
rumor  obtains  wide  range,  and  the  men  who  became  inter- 
ested in  me  learned  that  one  time  in  a  near  town  I  had 
been  giving  an  exhibition  of  swordsmanship  before  a  local 
military  company.  My  skill  had  attracted  wide  attention, 
and  comment  upon  my  appearance  reached  the  ears  of 
men  who  we  learned  afterward  were  French  spies. 
After  that  we  sought  seclusion,  and  I  was  careful  not  to 
perform  acts  which  should  bring  me  into  undue  promi- 
nence. However,  there  came  from  across  the  Atlantic 
that  old  story  of  my  escape  from  death  at  Luxembourg. 
This  set  the  gossips  to  thinking,  and  soon  there  came  a 
belief  existing  here  that  I  was  none  other  than  the  marshal 
of  France,  who  did  not  die,  as  the  official  records  stated. 
Into  my  lonely  life  then  there  came  a  beautiful  maiden. 
I  was  thrown  into  her  society  in  my  capacity  as  teacher. 
Soon  I,  an  old  soldier,  grizzled  and  worn,  and  with,  as  I 
supposed,  the  fount  of  love  as  well  as  of  youth  long  dried 
within  me,  found  myself  in  love.  At  first  I  would  not 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  221 

admit  it,  but  the  strength  of  my  love  triumphed,  and  ere 
long,  old  and  sturdy  soldier  that  I  was,  was  forced  to 
admit  that  Cupid  had  found  the  vulnerable  spot  in  my 
armor,  and  that  there  was  only  one  way  for  me  to  repair 
it.  Well,  Armand,  I  cannot  say  whether  it  was  love  for 
me  or  for  my  romantic  history  which  charmed  the  dear 
girl  who  became  my  wife.  I  think  she  did  care  for  the 
old  soldier  himself,  and  as  for  me,  I  worshiped  her. 
When  I  told  her  of  my  career  she  became  more  and  more 
devoted  to  me,  and  she  trembled  at  the  very  mention  of 
French  spies.  Before  you  were  born  she  exhibited 
greater  signs  of  fear.  I  saw  how  greatly  she  was  agitated, 
and  asked  that  she  tell  me  the  cause  of  her  secret  grief. 
It  was  this :  she  feared  that  if  the  child  she  was  to  bear 
were  a  son  he  would  suffer  at  the  hands  of  the  spies ;  that 
my  enemies  would  wreak  their  vengeance  upon  my  son. 
In  spite  of  all  that  I  could  do  to  reassure  her,  I  could  not 
remove  that  fear  from  her  mind.  She  became  gloomy, 
so  much  so  that  I  became  alarmed  over  her  state  of  mind. 
I  sought  by  every  means  to  allay  her  fears,  and  at  last  I 
solemnly  pledged  myself  that  if  a  son,  her  child  should 
be  brought  up  in  ignorance  of  his  father's  true  name.  I 
swore  that  I  never  would  reveal  to  you,  until  at  least  you 
had  reached  years  of  manhood,  the  name  which  right- 
fully you  should  bear.  I  pledged  that  you  should  even 
be  sent  away  from  this  locality,  where  the  rumors  con- 
cerning my  career  could  not  reach  your  ears.  This  was 
known  to  Colonel  Breton,  who  in  the  presence  of  your 
mother  swore  to  carry  out  my  contract  if  he  survived  me. 


222  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

It  was  then  agreed  that  at  an  early  age  you  should  be 
sent  to  New  Orleans,  and  after  that  to  Paris.  Pierre 
Breton  swore  that  never  would  he  tell  the  story  of  my 
life  to  you.  After  that  pledge  I  told  him  that  I  would 
write  a  brief  sketch  of  my  life,  which  in  the  event  of  my 
passing  away  before  him  he  should  leave  where  you  could 
obtain  it  after  his  death  and  when  you  should  have  reached 
years  of  manhood.  This,  my  son,  will  explain  to  you  in 
after  years  why  the  story  of  your  father's  life  has  been 
withheld  from  you.  You  are  now  at  New  Orleans  under 
the  care  of  Father  Dumois,  who  is  acquainted  with  your 
real  name.  He  will  guard  you.  Then  next  you  will 
visit  Paris  to  complete  your  education,  where  I  hope  you 
may  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  the  general  who  aided 
your  father  to  escape.  I  refer  to  D'Arville,  who  is  a 
younger  man  than  I,  and  therefore  may  hold  a  longer 
lease  of  life.  Your  mother,  dear  woman,  died  shortly 
after  your  entrance  into  this  world.  She  passed  away 
while  I  held  her  in  my  arms,  and  the  last  words  upon  her 
lips  were  a  prayer  to  me  to  watch  over  you.  After  I  had 
followed  her  remains  to  their  final  resting-place  I  re- 
turned here  with  a  heart  heavy  with  sorrow.  I  had  lost 
the  dear  love  of  my  later  years,  and  gained  a  son  upon 
whose  manhood  I  should  never  gaze.  Even  then  I  had 
signs  of  a  breaking  up  of  my  system  which  at  the  time  I 
write  has  become  greatly  accentuated.  My  life  from  the 
time  of  your  mother's  death  was  given  to  you.  Colonel 
Breton  and  myself  would  oftentimes  sit  by  your  cradle 
and  plan  for  your  future.  The  little  boy,  Lafe,  would 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  223 

roll  with  you  on  the  floor  in  your  childish  play.  Since 
your  departure  for  New  Orleans  we  have  ofttimes  sat  over 
our  after-dinner  glass  and  talked  of  your  future. 
Armand,  I  have  a  one  absorbing  hope — that  on  the 
throne  of  France  may  still  sit  a  Napoleon,  and  that  you, 
in  whose  veins  courses  my  blood,  may  offer  him  the 
assistance  of  your  sword  to  aid  him  should  he  require  it. 
I  can  distinguish  in  France  to-day  certain  signs  which 
portend  political  upheavals.  The  son  of  the  great 
emperor  may  yet  wield  the  imperial  scepter  over  the 
French.  It  may  be  written,  and  methinks  it  is,  that  a 
Bonaparte  shall  yet  guide  the  people  of  France  to  higher 
and  better  things ;  that  the  glorious  work  begun  by  my 
chieftain  shall  be  carried  further  on  by  one  who  bears  his 
name.  That  name  Napoleon  contains  a  magic  influence 
in  swaying  the  hearts  of  men,  and  I  fondly  believe  that  it 
has  not  gone  down  forever  at  St.  Helena.  History  has 
given  us  many  stately  figures — some  in  dazzling  luster — 
some  in  deepest  gloom.  They  crowd  upon  our  gaze  as 
the  story  of  the  world  unrolls  before  us ;  but  infinitely 
nobler  than  all-^-save  the  form  of  our  Saviour  on  the 
rough-reddened  wood  at  Calvary — stands  the  figure  of 
Napoleon  Bonaparte.  His  is  the  strong  figure  among  the 
world's  greatest  heroes.  Should  one  of  his  blood  ever 
occupy  the  imperial  throne,  will  it  not  be  fitting  that  the 
descendant  of  one  of  his  old  marshals  should  support  him 
with  his  sword?  I  have  this  request  to  make,  my  son: 
Should  you  reach  the  years  of  manhood  and  a  Napoleon 
ask  your  aid,  give  it  him  and  you  will  faithfully  carry 


224  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

out  the  only  request  that  I,  your  father,  ask.  After  read- 
ing this  I  trust  that  your  opinions  of  your  father,  if 
harsh,  may  be  softened.  I  have  always  acted  the  part  of 
a  patriotic  French  soldier — a  soldier  who  fought  for  what 
he  believed  to  be  the  best  interests  of  France.  In  the 
performance  of  those  duties  I  cannot  cite  an  instance 
where  I  have  ever  regretted  the  part  which  I  took,  or  the 
cause  which  I  upheld. 

"And  now,  Armand,  my  son,  I  have  concluded.  May 
your  life  not  be  clouded  with  the  darkness  which 
obscured  a  portion  of  that  of  your  loving  father. 

"MICHAEL  NET." 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  225 


CHAPTEE    XV. 

THE   PKIME08E   PATH. 

ARMAND  BRETON  finished  reading  the  manuscript,  and 
then  an  overpowering  emotion  took  possession  of  him. 
And  this  man,  France's  great  marshal,  was  his  father — 
the  man  of  whom  he  had  spoken  lightly  to  Uncle  Pierre 
as  receiving  his  just  deserts  when  he  was  executed  for 
treason.  Before  him  was  the  true  record  of  his  father's 
life.  Now  it  was  plain  why  Uncle  Pierre,  General 
D'Arville,  and  others  were  so  much  attached  to  the 
memory  of  Marshal  Ney.  The  mystery  of  his  birth  was 
clear,  and  the  reason  why  it  had  been  so  long  kept  from 
him.  The  unswerving  loyalty  of  Pierre  Breton  to  the 
oath  made  in  the  presence  of  his  dead  mother  kept  him 
from  disclosing  the  secret  years  ago.  The  old  man  had 
been  faithful  to  his  pledge  unto  the  end.  He  felt  a  thrill 
of  pride  as  his  mind  reverted  to  the  glorious  achieve- 
ments of  his  father,  which  must  be  forever  recorded  as 
among  the  most  brilliant  in  military  history — and  as  he 
reflected  that  he  died  in  exile,  not  even  known  by  the 
name  upon  which  he  had  shed  such  dazzling  luster. 
Dead  to  the  world  in  which  he  lived,  he  passed  the  clos- 
ing years  of  his  life  in  a  foreign  land  under  an  assumed 


226  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

name,  and  even  to  death  he  and  his  were  haunted  by  the 
fear  that  the  spies  of  France  were  on  their  track. 

One  of  the  great  figures  of  French  history  had  been 
officially  executed  in  Paris,  and  yet  he  lived  for  years  in 
another  clime  and  left  a  son  to  succeed  him. 

He  was  the  son  of  Ney,  the  marshal  of  France  who  was 
shot,  and  not  the  son  of  the  plain  country  schoolmaster. 
This  was  the  mystery  concerning  the  life  of  his  father. 

The  young  man  arose  and  paced  the  floor  restlessly 
for  a  few  minutes.  He  again  came  back  to  the  table, 
lifted  mechanically  one  or  two  of  the  little  bags  of  gold, 
and  then  turned  over  the  package  which  had  first  met 
his  gaze.  Then  he  spread  the  contents  upon  the  broad 
oaken  table.  There  before  him  were  jewels  of  great 
value — decorations  such  as  are  only  won  by  a  few — titles 
— patents  of  nobility.  Lifting  one  decoration  Armand 
saw  that  it  was  the  grand  cross  of  a  chevalier  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor. 

"Ah,"  he  thought,  "what  a  transformation!  A  short 
time  ago  a  soldier  of  fortune,  the  owner  of  a  half-ruined 
plantation,  and  now  the  possessor  of  gold,  jewels,  titles, 
the  son  of  the  Prince  of  Moskwa.  If  I  do  not  awaken 
in  the  morning  and  find  this  to  be  all  a  tantalizing 
dream !  Lucille  and  a  title !  I  wonder  what  she  will  say 
when  I  tell  her  all  of  this  astonishing  news.  She  will 
imagine  either  that  my  reason  has  taken  flight  or  that  it 
is  some  fairy  tale  of  my  concoction.  Surely  it  is  no 
dream,  it  is  real.  Yes,  D'Arville  was  right  when  he 
wrote  that  it  was  probable  that  I  would  make  Paris  my 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  227 

abiding  place.  My  little  princess  and — nonsense,  I  am 
getting  silly;  a  little  fresh  air  will  bring  me  to  my 
senses;"  and  Armand  stepped  to  the  window  and  threw 
wide  the  shutters.  Standing  there  he  took  a  few  deep 
inhalations  of  the  fragrant  night  air.  Then  fastening 
the  shutters  he  came  back  again  to  the  table.  "Enough 
excitement  for  one  day,"  he  thought;  "now  to  my  room, 
which  I  suppose  Aunt  Tabby  has  put  in  order.  The  old 
house  is  safe  as  a  fort,  and  I  may  as  well  leave  the  old 
chest's  contents  where  they  now  are;"  and  sweeping  the 
manuscript,  jewels,  and  decorations  from  the  table  he 
flung  them  into  the  box  in  disorder,  and  neglected  in  his 
excitement  to  lower  the  lid.  Extinguishing  one  light,  he 
took  the  other  and  passed  on  upstairs  to  his  room. 

The  library  was  in  a  wing  of  the  main  part  of  Stone 
House,  and  over  it  was  located  Armand 's  chamber. 

Hours  passed,  and  the  young  man  had  sunk  into  a 
slumber  disturbed  by  the  trooping  dream-phantoms  in- 
habiting the  dusky  realms  of  Morpheus.  Through  the 
mysterious  agency  of  dreams  Armand  was  carried  back 
to  the  blood-stained  ^fields  of  the  Virginia  campaign. 
He  was  at  the  Wilderness,  and  the  sun  was  hidden  by 
the  lurid  smoke  which  rose  from  the  woods.  His  ears 
were  deafened  by  the  streaming  volleys  of  musketry  and 
the  thunder  of  artillery.  In  front  of  Armand  was  a 
tangled  swamp,  an  almost  impenetrable  thicket  and  a 
ditch  apparently  impassable — beyond,  a  hill  bristling 
with  cannon  vomiting  shell  and  canister.  "Forward! 
double  quick!"  was  his  order.  The  line  swept  forward 


228  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

in  the  midst  of  an  appalling  fire,  leaving  the  ground 
littered  with  dead  and  dying. 

"Close  up,  close  up  to  the  colors!" 

The  line  closed  up,  crashed  through  the  swamp, 
cleared  the  ditch,  and  rushed  up  the  hill  in  face  of  the 
terrific  fire  poured  upon  them.  But  the  smoke — would 
they  ever  get  free  from  it?  It  was  heavy,  it  was  sul- 
phurous and  stifling. 

"One  more  charge,  men,"  came  from  the  lips  of  the 
young  man  as  he  tossed  on  his  bed. 

"For  the  South — for  love— for  Luc " 

Over  him  bent  the  form  of  Lafe,  shaking  him 
vigorously. 

"For  de  love  of  Gawd,  Massa  Cunnell,  wake  up,  de 
house  am  burning. ' ' 

Half-raising  him  in  his  arms  Lafe  drew  Armand  to- 
ward him.  In  an  instant  the  sleeping  man  was  fully 
aroused. 

"What  say  you,  Lafe,  fire!"  were  the  first  words  that 
came  to  his  lips,  although  the  room  was  filled  with 
smoke,  and  below  them  could  be  heard  the  hissing 
and  crackling  of  the  flames. 

"Not  a  moment  to  spare,  Massa  Cunnell.  I  put  de 
ladder  to  yo'  window  soon's  I  knew  ob  de  fire.  Yo' 
papers,  Massa  Cunnell,  yo'  valuables,  are  dey  here?" 

"Here  ?  My  God,  man ! ' '  and  it  was  an  agonized  shriek 
that  Armand  gave;  "they  are  in  the  library.  I  will  get 
them.  They  must  be  saved;  must,  I  say,  do  you  hear?" 
And  in  a  frenzied  manner  Breton  dashed  by  Lafe  and 


THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  229 

flung  wide  the  door  leading  to  the  library.  He  stag- 
gered back  scorched  by  the  hot  wave  which  swept  up  the 
draught  which  had  been  created  by  the  opening  of  the 
door.  Armand  had  one  glance  and  that  was  sufficient  to 
tell  him  of  the  hopeless  task  of  attempting  to  rescue  any- 
thing from  the  lower  part  of  the  house.  Below  him  was 
a  mass  of  seething  flames ;  already  the  floor  upon  which 
he  stood  was  crackling  with  the  heat  and  little  bursts  of 
white  flames  were  shooting  through. 

"Gone,"  he  cried,  as  Lafe,  seizing  him,  dragged  him 
toward  the  window.  "A  prince  and  a  pauper  in  a  few 
hours!  What  next,  messieurs,  what  next!" 

Forcing  him  out  on  the  ladder  Lafe  flung  his  apparel 
out  the  window  and  himself  quickly  followed ;  none  too 
soon,  for  in  another  minute  the  flames  had  burst  through 
the  floor  and  Armand 's  bed  was  a  mass  of  flames.  The 
cool  night  air  revived  the  half-stifled  Breton,  and  it  was 
with  sinking  heart  that  he  watched  the  destruction  of 
his  home  and  treasures.  The  stone  wall  of  the  old  build- 
ing proved  an  effectual  barrier  for  the  flames.  With 
the  burning  of  the  wing,  the  destruction  of  the  building 
by  fire  ceased.  How  it  had  originated  no  one  knew. 
Armand  thought  it  possible  that  he  failed  to  extinguish 
the  lamp  which  he  left  in  the  library  and  that  it  ex- 
ploded. The  inflammable  material  near  caused  it  to 
spread  with  a  fierceness  and  rapidity  that  was  far 
beyond  all  power  of  control  when  discovered.  The 
library,  stored  as  it  was  with  books,  papers,  furniture 
and  fittings,  gave  great  impetus  to  the  flames  when  once 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

started.  The  wing  to  Stone  House  was  completely 
gutted,  with  the  walls  standing ;  but  scarcely  a  vestige  of 
woodwork  remained. 

Armand  praised  Lafe  warmly  for  his  prompt  action 
after  he  had  discovered  the  fire.  He  believed  that  had 
it  not  been  for  Lafe  he  would  have  perished  in  the  fire 
which  swept  from  earth  the  last  vestige  of  the  records 
left  by  his  father.  The  day  following  the  ruin  had  not 
sufficiently  cooled  to  permit  of  any  excavations  in  the 
smoldering  pile ;  so  Armand,  after  directing  that  water 
be  steadily  poured  upon  the  ashes,  went  to  town,  where 
he  had  a  business  conference  with  Uncle  Pierre's  lawyer. 
He  was  anxious  to  get  away  for  the  North  as  soon  as 
possible,  and  he  concluded  too  that  a  trip  to  Paris  would 
be  the  next  move.  He  needed  money,  and  he  had  no 
doubt  but  that  the  melted  gold  which  could  be  dug 
from  the  ruins  would  afford  him  all  that  he  desired  in 
that  line.  His  reasoning  proved  correct,  for  when  the 
ashes  were  dug  into,  a  mass  of  yellow  metal  was  found  in 
the  iron  box.  Not  a  vestige  of  anything  else  could  be 
exhumed;  the  papers  were  consumed,  and  the  jewels, 
scattered  and  broken  by  the  heat,  were  never  found. 
Armand  remembered  the  sword  to  which  his  father 
referred  in  his  manuscript.  He  did  not  see  it  when  he 
examined  the  contents  of  the  box.  He  was  sure  that  he 
could  not  have  removed  it,  and  after  the  fire  no  trace  of 
it  existed  in  the  iron  chest.  The  young  man  felt  so 
downcast  over  his  loss  that  he  did  not  prosecute  a  close 
search.  With  the  precious  metal  found  and  deposited 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  231 

in  a  place  where  he  could  avail  himself  of  its  proceeds, 
Annand  felt  that  he  was  anxious  to  shake  the  dust  of 
Virginia  from  his  feet  for  a  long  time.  Thus  it  was, 
after  clothing  Lafe  with  authority,  that  he  set  out  for 
the  North.  His  first  stopping  place  was  Richmond.  A 
call  at  the  hospital  elicited  the  information  that  Lloyd 
Phillips  had  left  two  days  previous  restored  fully  to 
health.  It  was  also  possible,  he  learned,  that  Lloyd 
might  be  stopping  at  Ford's,  as  it  was  his  intention  to 
remain  a  short  time  in  Richmond.  Nita  Calvert  had  left 
the  hospital  and  was  stopping  with  relatives  in  town. 
At  Fords'  he  found  Lloyd,  and  the  meeting  between  them 
was  a  very  affecting  one.  Armand  told  Lloyd,  what  he 
had  already  learned  from  Nita  Calvert,  that  he  loved  his 
sister  and  that  his  love  was  returned  by  her.  He  also 
told  him,  what  Nita  had  not  imparted,  the  belief  that  he 
had  killed  Lloyd  in  the  battle  at  Rutger's,  and  that  this 
statement  made  to  Lucille  had  separated  them.  He  did 
not  tell  him  of  the  history  of  his  father's  life  as  disclosed 
by  the  manuscript.  "Lloyd  will  think  that  it  is  my 
turn  to  be  out  of  my  head,"  thought  Breton,  "if  I  tell 
him  about  my  being  the  son  of  Ney  and  heir  to  lands 
and  titles. ' ' 

Lloyd  promised  to  accompany  Breton  North  the  fol- 
lowing day,  as  he  was  anxious  to  bring  back  in  person 
the  man  whom  all  his  family  mourned  as  dead. 

That  evening  they  called  upon  Nita  Calvert,  and  as 
they  walked  homeward  Lloyd  took  occasion  to  tell 
Armand  that  he  thought  Nita  was  an  angel  in  human 


232  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

form.  Breton  was  too  much  occupied  with  his  own 
thoughts  to  lay  any  particular  stress  upon  Lloyd's 
remarks,  but  they  were  recalled  later. 

The  war  had  ended.  It  had  been  fought  with  grim 
Anglo-Saxon  stubbornness  to  the  heights  of  Appomattox. 
The  South,  prostrate  and  bleeding  at  every  pore,  was 
faithful  to  the  last  in  defense  of  her  principles.  She  had 
bared  her  breast  to  four  years  of  destroying  war. 

The  wounds  inflicted  upon  her  had  desolated  her  fair 
fields  and  had  swept  the  flower  of  her  race  into  the  dust 
of  eternity. 

The  North,  vigorous,  triumphant,  could  well  afford 
to  deal  magnanimously  with  her  fallen  sister.  The 
Northern  mind,  comparatively  unimaginative,  realized 
that  when  the  artillery  roll  began  at  Sumter  a  vast  and 
intricate  evil  existed  in  this  country  which  had  to  be 
fought  out  of  existence. 

The  concrete  expression  of  the  common  essentials  of 
American  character  is  to  fight  stubbornly  to  the  end. 

The  South  fought  bravely — but  she  was  beaten. 
Grant,  however,  had  lightened  for  her  the  gloom  of 
defeat  by  crowning  his  conquest  with  love  for  the  van- 
quished. 

When  Breton  and  Lloyd  Phillips  had  reached  the 
North  the  invincible  armies  of  the  Union  had  melted 
away  into  the  mass  of  the  people.  In  field  and  factory 
activity  abounded.  The  red  stains  of  war  were  soon  to  be 
washed  away  by  the  strong  arms  of  enterprise. 

The  war  between  the  States  had  given  a  new  name  to 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  233 

American  valor,  and  a  fresh  stimulus  to  the  nation's 
industrial  growth. 

There  was  joy  in  the  Phillips  home  when  the  young 
soldiers  arrived.  The  old  army  officer  and  his  wife  had 
long  looked  upon  their  son  as  having  been  gathered  in 
among  the  unknown  dead  in  war's  harvest.  Hence  his 
homecoming,  although  they  had  been  prepared  for  it 
for  some  time,  seemed  like  the  return  to  life  of 
some  one  who  had  crossed  the  line  to  the  world  of 
shadows. 

To  Lucille  it  was  not  only  the  return  of  a  dearly  be- 
loved brother,  whom  she  had  mourned  as  dead,  but  the 
removal  as  well  of  a  blood-red  barrier  which  separated 
her  from  the  man  she  loved. 

The  probing  knife  of  bitter  disappointment  had  found 
its  way  to  the  throbbing  center  of  Armand's  affection 
and  had  cut  away,  as  he  thought,  his  happiness  forever. 
But  Lloyd  Phillips'  return  to  life  had  changed  all.  His 
pulses  thrilled  with  the  delicious  fever  of  love.  He  had 
been  transported  to  the  land  where  happiness  is  peren- 
nial and  where  despair  disappears  like  a  cloud  of  mist 
before  the  sun. 

It  was  not  long  after  his  return  that  he  told  Lucille 
about  the  message  left  him  by  his  father,  and  the  ex- 
planation of  the  mystery  which  had  surrounded  that 
parent's  career. 

He  told  her  of  his  great  anxiety  to  visit  Paris  in  order 
that  he  might  confer  with  his  old  friend  D'Arville  in 
reference  to  what  course  he  would  deem  expedient  to 


234  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

promote  the  recognition  of  his  claims  as  heir  to  the  title 
and  estates  of  the  great  French  marshal. 

The  young  couple  were  happy.  The  penetrating 
fragrance  of  the  earth,  warmed  by  the  early  rays  of 
spring,  charmed  their  senses.  The  grass  seemed  to  take 
on  a  greener  hue,  the  buds  were  opening  as  if  to  salute 
the  sun.  The  birds  caroled  among  the  leaves  and  all 
nature  was  breathing  forth  love. 

Annand,  with  passionate  eloquence,  pleaded  for  an 
early  union.  Mrs.  Phillips  seemed  averse  to  a  hasty 
marriage,  but  the  young  soldier's  eloquence  soon  won 
her  and  she  made  an  early  capitulation,  as  Lucille  had 
already  done. 

General  Phillips  had  formed  a  deep  attachment  for 
Armand,  and  the  old  officer  was  so  fond  of  his  society 
that  Lucille  said  she  really  felt  jealous  of  her  papa's 
monopolizing  so  much  of  her  fiance's  time. 

"Just  to  think,"  she  said,  one  day,  after  she  had  lis- 
tened to  the  two  soldiers  discuss  McClellan's  campaign 
in  the  Peninsula.  "One,  to  listen  to  you  talk,  would 
think  that  neither  of  you  had  seen  fighting  enough ;  any- 
how, you  shall  not  fight  those  dreadful  battles  over  again 
in  my  presence.  Come,  sir,"  she  said  archly  to  Breton, 
"if  you  do  not  watch  the  conquered  territory  closer  it 
may  rebel,  and  once  well  out  from  the  influence  of  the 
foreign  invader  it  may  prove  difficult  to  reconquer.  Be- 
sides, Armand  dear,  I  have  something  to  talk  over  that  I 
am  sure  will  interest  you  more  than  those  horrid  old  war 
stories." 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  235 

But  the  old  general  was  to  have  the  parting  shot. 

"Very  well,  my  dear,"  he  said,  "it  is  always  well  in 
the  future  to  avoid  family  quarrels.  They  are  the  most 
bitter.  The  most  sanguinary  of  English  wars  comes 
down  to  us  under  the  softest  and  sweetest  of  names. 
Under  the  gentle  and  poetic  designation  of  the  War  of 
the  Roses,  lie  concealed  the  features  of  a  struggle  the 
most  ferocious  of  any  in  the  annals  of  war.  And  yet  it 
was  fought  between  kinsmen  and  friends.  You  had 
better  go,  Armand;  avoid  family  wars,"  and  the  officer 
chuckled  softly  as  the  young  officer  and  Lucille  sauntered 
away. 

It  was  decided  that  their  marriage  should  take  place 
on  an  early  date,  after  which  they  should  immediately 
sail  for  Paris. 

It  was  a  proud  and  happy  day  when  Armand  led 
Lucille  to  the  altar  and  listened  to  the  words  which 
united  the  current  of  their  lives. 

"Now,  Lucille,"  he  said  as  he  bent  to  kiss  her,  "you 
are  now  my  very  own,  my  princess,  the  ruler  of  my 
heart." 

"And,  Armand  dear,"  she  replied,  "you  may  believe 
that  I  shall  try  to  rule  my  subject  by  love  rather  than 
fear." 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 


CHAPTER  XVL 

THE   OFFEB  OF   NAPOLEON   lEL 

SHORTLY  after  Breton's  arrival  in  Paris  he  set  out  to 
look  up  General  D'Arville.  He  had  advised  him  of  his 
intention  to  sail  early  for  France,  but  knowing  that  his 
departure  came  sooner  than  he  had  indicated,  he  con- 
cluded that  he  would  surprise  his  old  friend  by  an  early 
call. 

General  D'Arville  was  overjoyed  when  he  saw  the  tall, 
bronzed  officer  before  him,  and  after  affectionate  greet- 
ings had  been  exchanged,  he  stepped  forward  and  from  a 
point  where  the  light  fell  full  upon  him,  studied  the 
American  carefully. 

"You  have  developed  wonderfully,  my  boy,  since  I 
saw  you  last ;  the  years  of  campaigning  have  broadened 
you ;  you  are  now  almost  an  exact  reproduction  of  your 
father,  the  marshal,  when  he  led  us  in  some  of  France's 
best  battles.  The  same  hair,  eyes,  and  figure.  There  are 
many  of  the  men  of  the  old  guard  who  will  at  once  recog- 
nize in  you  a  remarkable  resemblance  to  their  old  leader, 
Peter  the  Red.  Ah !  you  are  a  true  Ney !  Now  that  the 
American  war  is  over  you  will  remain  in  France,  where 
you  may  assume  your  rightful  position ;  your  titlest  your 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  237 

family  history  will  aid  you  in  gaining  you  military  rank 
in  the  empire.  You  know  there  are  many  followers  of 
France's  great  marshal  who  would  be  delighted  to  see 
the  son  of  Ney  high  in  the  nation's  councils.  I  think 
even  the  emperor  himself  would  not  hesitate  long  before 
he  would  recognize  the  son  of  the  man  who,  more  than 
any  other,  assisted  his  uncle  to  make  the  French  a  great 
people,  and  to  make  possible  a  Napoleonic  dynasty. ' ' 

"Then,  my  dear  general,  is  the  emperor  acquainted 
with  the  fact  that  my  father  left  a  son?" 

"He  knows  well  the  old  story  about  the  execution  of 
Ney.  While  in  New  York  he  became  acquainted  with 
the  American  rumor  regarding  the  possible  refuge  which 
he  found  in  that  country.  The  execution  of  your  father 
was  believed  by  many,  in  fact,  was  generally  accepted  to 
have  actually  taken  place.  Hence,  when  you  claim  the 
titles  and  estates  there  will  arise  much  comment  from  the 
emperor  down." 

"And  think  you,  general,  that  I  can  legally  support 
my  claim  to  the  titles  and  estates  of  Marshal  Ney  so 
effectually  that  they  will  be  granted  me?" 

"Assuredly;  have  we  not  ample  evidence?  Are  there 
not  plenty  living  who  can  affirm,  and  that  gladly,  that 
Marshal  Ney  did  not  die  in  the  gardens  of  Luxembourg 
— that  he  escaped  to  America?" 

"Yes,  but  did  he  not  die  legally?" 

"Why, the  sentence  of  the  court  was  apparently  carried 
out ;  but  then  there  are  men  who  stood  high  in  the  coun- 
cils of  the  first  empire  who  will  affirm  that  they  saw  Ney 


238  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

after  the  mock  execution.  Then  there  are  documents ; 
why,  even  the  papers  which  he  left  in  America  must  fur- 
nish documentary  evidence  of  sufficient  weight  to  admit 
the  justice  of  your  claim." 

"Unfortunately,  they  were  all  destroyed." 

"Destroyed!  surely  you  have  some  of  the  letters  which 
were  sent  by  the  Napoleonic  leaders  to  your  father  when 
in  exile?  You  surely  must  have  the  papers  he  wrote  to 
you  in  which  he  clearly  recites  the  eventful  chapters  of 
his  life.  This  I  knew  that  he  would  leave  to  you.  Colo- 
nel Breton  wrote  me  this. ' ' 

"Yes,  my  dear  General  D'Arville,  I  had  all  which  you 
mention,  and  more,  but  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  were 
all  consumed  by  fire,  I  am  unable  to  place  them  in  evi- 
dence." 

"Burned  up!  everything — papers,  decorations?" 

"Not  a  scrap  remains  to  support  my  claim  as  being 
the  son  of  Marshal  Ney." 

"Ah,  what  a  pity!"  and  the  old  general  pulled  at  his 
white  mustache  a  moment  in  silence ;  the  moody  look  on 
his  countenance  deepened;  looking  up  to  Breton,  he 
said: 

"Armand,  is  there  some  cursed  fatality  about  this?  I 
have  been  hastily  revolving  in  my  mind  the  number  of 
living  men  whom  we  have  to  support  your  claim.  Do 
you  know  the  reaper  Death  has  been  active  in  our  ranks 
lately.  A  few  years  ago  there  were  plenty,  but  the 
sickle  of  the  great  Reaper  has  garnered  them  in.  It  was 
only  yesterday  that  I  learned  of  the  sudden  death  of 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  239 

Etienne  Gerlot  in  a  railway  accident  on  the  way  to  Mar- 
seilles, and  to-day  it  comes  upon  me  with  telling  force 
that  I  am  the  only  living  witness  to  the  fact  that  Ney 
escaped  death  at  the  hands  of  the  king's  executioners.  A 
year  ago  there  were  five  in  France ;  then  in  America  was 
Colonel  Breton  and  the  mass  of  indisputable  evidence. 
Why,  the  matter  seemed  so  easy  that  I  have  never  be- 
lieved there  were  any  obstacles  of  serious  importance  in 
the  way  to  prevent  your  claiming  your  rightful  heritage 
when  the  release  came  from  the  promises  made  to  satisfy 
the  weak,  foolish  whims  of  a  woman." 

"Lightly,  general,  that  woman  was  my  mother." 

"My  boy,  I  did  not  mean  to  give  offense,  but  you  see 
had  it  not  been  for  that  promise  made  to  your  mother  to 
keep  you  in  ignorance  of  your  real  name  your  rights 
could  have  been  secured  to  you  long  ere  this.  It  was 
the  absolute  sincerity  of  Pierre  Breton,  and  his  respect 
for  the  oath  which  he  had  taken,  which  prevents  you 
to-day  from  being  called  the  Prince  of  Moskwa. ' ' 

"And  not  for  all  the  titles  in  the  world  would  I  have 
had  Uncle  Pierre  prove  false  to  the  oath  given  in  sacred 
pledge  to  my  mother." 

"I  considered  he  was  released  from  the  obligation  of 
that  promise  after  the  death  of  your  father,  and  so  wrote 
him,  but  he  could  not  view  it  in  that  light.  He  never 
even  dreamed  of  such  a  condition  arising  as  we  are  now 
face  to  face  with — the  almost  total  annihilation  of  our 
evidence.  He  thought  his  life  might  be  terminated  at 
any  moment,  and  that  you  would  assume  your  rightful 


240  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

position  in  the  full  flush  of  your  young  manhood.  I  have 
had  for  years  a  list  of  what  documents  he  possessed,  and 
knew  where  they  were  located  in  his  Virginia  home. 
This  in  case  of  his  sudden  -death.  Now  everything  is 
gone,  and  only  one  man  remains  of  all  those  who  swore 
to  be  faithful  to  the  end  to  the  memory  of  France's  great 
soldier — to  give  his  unsupported  testimony — to  tell  of  the 
time  when  the  revenge  of  the  Louis  was  foiled — when  the 
patriot  Ney  was  saved,  but,  alas!  not  for  France. 
Strange  things,  Armand,  the  whirligig  of  time  brings 
forth;  and  to  think  that  I,  Metier  D'Arville,  alone  sur- 
vive of  all  the  coterie  of  comrades  who  clustered  around 
Ney  in  the  days  agonel" 

"The  emperor,  my  dear  general — will  he  not  believe 
your  statement,  and  will  he  not  favor  the  claims  of  the 
son  of  the  man  who  did  much  for  his  great  ancestor?" 

"You  remind  me  of  your  father  in  your  frank  way  of 
speaking.  He  was  totally  ignorant  of  the  devious  ways 
of  courts,  whose  endless  intrigues  were  enigmas  incapable 
of  solution  by  him.  You  have  the  same  open  way  of 
speaking.  You  are  in  ignorance  regarding  French 
politics.  I  shall  ask  audience  with  the  emperor  to- 
morrow; I  shall  tell  him  of  the  mystery  surrounding 
your  father's  alleged  execution;  of  his  exile  to  America; 
and  remind  him  of  the  deeds  of  your  father  in  behalf  of 
French  liberty.  I  shall  ask  him  if  these  deeds  should  be 
rewarded  by  recognizing  the  validity  of  the  son's  claims. 
I  do  not  wish  to  be  too  sanguine  of  the  result  of  my  inter- 
view. You  should  know,  my  dear  Armand,  that  Napo- 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  241 

leon  HI.  is  not  entirely  free  from  political  intrigues; 
that  the  Tuileries  is  the  hotbed  wherein  are  nourished 
pet  schemes  of  extended  political  power  and  military 
glory.  The  emperor  is  not  at  all  times  a  free  agent. ' ' 

"He  is  a  Napoleon." 

"In  name,  yes." 

"Surely  you  do  not  believe  the  story  of  Hortense  and 
the  Dutch  admiral?" 

"I  believe,  with  many  of  the  old  soldiers  of  France,  in- 
cluding your  noble  father,  that  but  little  good  could  come 
out  of  that  blood  from  which  Josephine  sprung.  Like 
mother  like  daughter.  I  do  not  wish  to  prejudice  you 
against  our  emperor,  but  we  soldiers  who  followed  the 
great  emperor  can  readily  distinguish  the  difference 
between  pure  gold  and  the  imitation. ' ' 

"But  the  French  people  love  their  emperor,  do  they 
not?" 

"Yes,  but  in  this  instance  it  is  more  the  love  for  a 
great  name,  the  achievements  which  France  won  under 
it,  the  glamour  which  it  casts  over  them,  than  love  for  the 
man  who  bears  it.  It  is  love  for  the  shadow  and  not  for 
the  substance  as  represented  in  the  present  emperor. 
You  may  deem  my  words  almost  treasonable,  but  as 
surely  as  I  am  speaking  to  the  son  of  Marshal  Ney,  I  am 
only  expressing  just  what  the  real  sentiments  of  the 
French  people  are  toward  Napoleon  HE.  He  is  not  in 
ignorance  as  to  public  opinion,  and  he  has  sought  by 
diversion  to  extend  the  domains  of  France  and  win  for 
her  military  glory.  When  I  tell  you  that  I  believe  the 


242  THE   SWORD   OF   THE   PYRAMIDS. 

French  intervention  in  Mexico  was  but  a  scheme  of  the 
emperor's  to  extend  French  influence  by  the  establish- 
ment of  a  French  empire  in  America  bordering  on  the 
Pacific,  you  will  understand  my  full  meaning.  You  will 
remember  after  the  English  and  Spanish  war  vessels  had 
been  withdrawn  from  Vera  Cruz,  the  French  remained. 
Napoleon  refused  the  support  generously  offered  by  Eng- 
land ;  he  must  avoid  having  the  way  smoothed  between 
him  and  Juarez,  the  Indian  President  of  Mexico.  The 
difficulties  once  removed  he  would  have  no  pretext  for 
keeping  French  troops  quartered  in  Mexico.  It  was  his 
influence  that  induced  the  clerical  party  in  that  country, 
the  Assembly  of  Notables,  they  were  styled,  to  declare  in 
favor  of  an  hereditary  monarchy  with  a  Catholic  prince 
as  sovereign.  It  was  his  influence  that  caused  them  to 
offer  the  crown  to  Maximilian,  the  Austrian  Archduke,  a 
childless  prince,  childless  after  five  years  of  married  life. 
If  he  remains  on  the  throne  of  Mexico,  virtually  under 
French  protection,  his  succession  will  devolve  upon  the 
heirs  of  Napoleon.  He  dreams  of  founding  an  empire 
over  which  his  son  shall  rule  with  the  title  of  Emperor  of 
France  and  of  Mexico.  The  offer  of  the  crown  to  the 
Austrian  archduke  was  but  a  cloak  to  cover  up  his  real 
designs." 

"Surely,  if  what  you  say  is  true,  then  does  he  not  give 
evidence  of  the  possession  of  Napoleonic  genius?" 

"Genius?  call  you  such  dark  plottings  against  an  in- 
offensive people  thousands  of  miles  away  genius?  Do 
not  confound  the  selfish  plots  of  this  man  with  the  grand 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  243 

nobility  of  his  great  ancestor.  His  are  the  ideas  of  a 
French  politician,  whose  wits  have  been  sharpened  by 
contact  with  the  Yankees  and  the  English.  If  he  pos- 
sessed even  a  fractional  part  of  the  intelligence  of  the 
great  man  whose  name  he  bears,  he  would  even  now  be 
strengthening  France  against  foes  within,  and  to  placing 
her  army  at  a  point  of  efficacy  to  render  continental  war 
impossible.  If  his  ears  were  not  filled  with  the  whisper- 
ings of  his  flatterers  and  his  eyes  blinded  by  vanity,  he 
would  note  the  growing  military  preponderance  of 
France's  old  enemy,  Prussia,  who  hungers  for  her  lost 
provinces  of  Alsaoe  and  Lorraine.  There  are  complica- 
tions innumerable  arising,  and  it  does  not  require  the 
wisdom  of  a  prophet  to  tell  that  France's  ruler  should 
look  well  to  her  home  interests,  rather  than  squander  her 
millions  by  sending  armies  across  the  ocean  to  maintain 
upon  his  paper  throne,  an  emperor  in  name  only.  I 
question,  now  that  the  Union  cause  in  America  has 
triumphed,  whether  the  Americans  themselves  will  not 
make  more  than  a  formal  protest  against  the  estab- 
lishment of  monarchical  institutions  upon  their  continent. 
They  have  favored  Juarez ;  and  now  internal  trouble  has 
subsided,  they  may  support  him  in  his  claims.  There 
are  many  who  believe  that  the  emperor  has  taken  advan- 
tage of  the  troubles  in  the  United  States  to  establish 
imperialism  in  Mexico  in  violation  of  what  the  Americans 
term  the  'Monroe  Doctrine. ' ' 

"Then  you  do  not  uphold  him  in  the  position  he  has 
assumed  toward  Mexico?" 


244  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

"No,  most  assuredly  I  do  not.  France  now  requires 
a  leader,  and  not  a  meddler  in  the  affairs  of  others,  partic- 
ularly when  intervention  in  Mexico,  to  the  extent  of 
maintaining  an  army  of  eighty  thousand  men,  was  not 
primarily  inaugurated  to  collect  debts  due  France,  but 
to  forward  a  selfish  scheme  of  the  emperor.  However, 
Armand,  in  spite  of  the  fact  of  my  expressed  opinion  to 
you,  I  stand  well  at  court.  I  have  laid  bare  to  you  the 
inner  beliefs  of  my  heart.  For  state  reasons  I  conceal 
them.  The  emperor  cannot  afford  to  overlook  the  serv- 
ices which  some  of  us  have  rendered  to  his  uncle  and  to 
France;  therefore  he  always  pretends  at  least  to  culti- 
vate the  good  wishes  of  those  who  formed  the  ranks  of 
the  old  guard.  I  shall  now  ascertain  if  it  is  possible  for 
me  to  gain  private  audience  with  him  to-morrow. ' ' 

The  men  exchanged  salutations  and  parted,  the  young 
officer  promising  to  call  upon  the  following  day. 

Breton  drove  through  the  old  familiar  boulevards  on  his 
way  back  to  his  hotel,  but  so  surcharged  was  his  mind 
with  the  memories  of  the  morning's  chat  that  he  rode 
home  entirely  oblivious  to  the  familiar  scenes  of  bygone 
days  which  surrounded  him. 

Lucille  was  anxiously  awaiting  his  return.  Her  quick 
intuitiveness  instantly  interpreted  the  expression  which 
Breton  wore  as  indicating  that  his  morning's  visit  had 
not  resulted  as  he  had  wished ;  therefore  it  was  hardly 
necessary  for  him  to  say,  after  he  had  kissed  her  affec- 
tionately : 

"You  are  a  real  princess,  Lucille,  and  a  more  priceless 


THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  245 

gem  to  me  than  any  which  may  be  within  the  gift  of  the 
emperor. ' ' 

"Then,  Armand,  dear,  the  chances  are  not  good  for 
your  regaining  that  which  your  father  won?" 

"Well,  not  the  beet  surely,  but  still  the  chances  are 
not  wholly  adverse." 

"I  am  so  sorry  for  you.  You  have  so  set  your  heart 
upon  this " 

"Only  for  you,  little  girl;  I  want  to  see  you  a  real 
princess. ' ' 

"Thanks,  Armand." 

And  so  their  pretty  little  compliments  ran  on. 

The  following  morning  Armand  called  upon  General 
D'Arville,  whom  he  found  awaiting  his  arrival.  The  old 
French  officer  was  laboring  under  suppressed  excitement. 
Hardly  had  they  exchanged  greetings  when  he  exclaimed : 

"My  dear  boy,  our  case  looks  very  promising.  Yes- 
terday when  I  called  at  the  Tuileries  I  was  doubly  fortu- 
nate in  finding  the  emperor  in  and  disengaged.  He  gave 
me  an  audience  which  lasted  over  an  hour.  He  listened 
attentively;  in  fact  he  was  deeply  interested,  judging 
from  the  close  attention  which  he  paid  and  the  length  of 
time  which  he  granted  me.  Several  cards  of  notables 
were  brought  in,  but  the  emperor  paid  not  the  slightest 
notice  to  them." 

"He  was  interested  favorably  tn  me,  do  you  believe?" 

"So  I  should  interpret  the  meaning  of  the  careful  and 
almost  religious  attention  which  he  paid  my  recital  of 
the  deeds  of  your  father,  of  his  exile  from  France,  and  of 


246  THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

your  birth.  Best  assured,  my  dear  Armand,  I  did  not 
mean  that  your  own  valorous  deeds  should  lose  at  my 
hands.  He  seemed  particularly  interested  when  I  bore 
upon  the  fact  that  the  military  genius  of  Ney  had  de- 
scended to  you ;  that  you  were  a  worthy  son  of  a  noble 
father." 

"You  compliment  me  too  highly,  general." 
"Nay,  nay,  permit  others  to  judge.  After  I  had  con- 
cluded my  recital  he  sat  a  few  moments  in  silence  as  if 
buried  in  deep  thought,  then  he  looked  at  me  as  if  some 
new  idea  had  just  occurred  to  him,  and  he  said:  'Gen- 
eral, you  say  the  young  man  is  a  talented  soldier ;  that  is 
the  kind  of  man  France  needs.  I  will  think  over  all  you 
have  told  me. '  ' 

"Then  do  you  think  that " 

"Surely,  Armand,  I  think  Louis  Napoleon,  provided 
he  can  assist  his  own  political  schemes  thereby,  will  rec- 
ognize Colonel  Armand  Breton  as  the  son  of  Marshal  Ney 
and  heir  to  his  title  and  fortune ;  but  without — "  and  the 
general  shrugged  his  shoulders  significantly.  "Still," 
he  continued,  "of  course  we  do  not  mean  to  abandon 
hope.  I  have  made  some  progress.  I  have  obtained  for 
you  a  private  audience  with  the  emperor. ' ' 

"Surely,  that  is  favorable  to  me, is  it  not,  and  so  soon?" 
"Most  assuredly,  but  I  do  not  think  it  best  to  be  over- 
sanguine;  disappointments  are  much  harder  to  bear. 
However,  so  much  interest  do  I  take  in  your  case  that  I 
shall  await  with  much  anxiety  your  return  from  your 
interview." 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  247 

After  giving  Breton  some  special  information  as  to  the 
easiest  way  to  reach  the  person  of  the  emperor  of  the 
French,  they  parted.  On  the  following  day  Breton  was 
ushered  into  the  presence  of  the  French  ruler.  He  had 
seen  him  many  times  during  his  residence  in  the  French 
capital.  Hence  when  he  was  face  to  face  with  him  he 
was  at  once  struck  with  the  fact  that  the  emperor  had 
aged  considerably  during  the  few  years  that  had  inter- 
vened since  he  had  seen  him  riding  through  the  boule- 
vards of  Paris.  Napoleon  always  made  an  imposing 
figure  on  horseback,  but  while  he  stood  before  him  his 
stature  seemed  insignificant  to  the  American,  who 
towered  above  him. 

Breton  bowed  low  as  the  emperor  arose,  stepped  for- 
ward, shook  hands  with  him  and  motioned  him  to  a  seat 
near  him.  Napoleon's  grave  and  impenetrable  counte- 
nance seemed  set  in  a  look  of  studied  gravity.  Whatever 
his  intentions  were  toward  the  son  of  Ney,  it  was  impos- 
sible to  discern  them  owing  to  the  facial  mask  which 
completely  screened  his  inner  thoughts.  Failing  to  dis- 
cover by  a  quick,  inquisitive  glance  any  sign  which 
would  indicate  the  real  feelings  of  the  emperor,  Breton 
sank  into  a  seat  almost  overcome  with  depression — a  de- 
pression which  deepened  when  the  emperor  began : 

"And  so,  Colonel  Breton,  General  D'Arville  informs 
me  that  you  were  unfortunately  on  the  wrong  side  in  the 
American  war?" 

"Colonel  Breton!"  That  name  had  never  been  pro- 
nounced before  when  it  left  such  a  dull  sense  of  pain ; 


248  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

still,  what  could  he  have  hoped  ?  Suppose  Napoleon  had 
addressed  him  as  Colonel  Ney,  it  would  have  been 
stranger  still ;  or  instead,  had  he  said,  if  he  intended  to 
assist  him  to  his  rightful  rank,  "Prince" — nonsense; 
the  red  blood  surged  up  and  over  the  young  man's  face 
at  the  thoughts  which  came  flitting  across  his  mind  at 
the  first  words  of  the  emperor.  He  instantly  composed 
himself  and  replied : 

"Your  majesty  will  pardon  me  for  correcting  the  state- 
ment made  by  General  D'Arville.  I  do  not  admit  that  I 
was  on  the  wrong  side,  for  that  admission  would  be  equiv- 
alent to  an  acknowledgment  that  our  cause  was  an. 
unjust  one,  which  no  Southern  soldier  admits.  I  was  on 
the  weaker  side ;  but  might  is  not  always  right. ' ' 

Not  a  line  on  Napoleon's  face  relaxed,  but  he  cast  a 
rapid  glance  at  the  speaker,  and  after  he  had  finished  he 
asked : 

"You  are  fond  of  the  career  of  a  soldier,  are  you  not?" 

"It  has  for  me  a  peculiar  fascination. " 

"That  is  not  strange,  considering  your  ancestry.  And 
now,  Colonel  Breton,  I  know  that  which  is  uppermost  in 
your  mind.  General  D'Arville  related  to  me  yesterday 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  stories  to  which  I  have  ever 
listened.  I  refer  to  the  strange  career  of  your  father, 
one  of  the  stanchest,  the  most  loyal  supporters  that  my 
uncle  or  France  ever  had." 

"Thank  you;  the  words  of  your  majesty  touch  me 
deeply." 

"They  are  true;  France  owes  a  debt  to  Marshal  Ney. 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  249 

I  heard  this  romantic  story  years  ago  while  in  New  York, 
but  placed  but  little  credence  in  the  rumor.  The  stand- 
ing of  D'Arville  is  such  that  he  is  far  removed  from  sus- 
picion in  trying  to  make  me  believe  an  impossible  story. 
However  incredulous  the  story  may  be  I  believe  it,  per- 
sonally, just. as  it  has  been  related  to  me  by  General 
D'Arville.  I  have  given  this  matter  much  consideration 
since  yesterday,  and  am  more  than  willing  to  lend  my 
assistance  toward  fulfilling  the  obligation  which  France 
owes  to  the  Neys. ' ' 

Breton  could  scarcely  conceal  his  agitation  as  the 
emperor  continued : 

"There  are,  however,  many  obstacles  in  the  way  of 
immediate  recognition.  It  is  new  conditions  which  we 
have  to  face  to-day — another  generation  has  sprung  into 
existence,  and  to-day  is  in  political  control.  My  power 
is  not  absolute,  and  I  am  compassed  by  enemies.  I  ask 
who  or  what  proportion  of  the  people  of  France  would 
believe  this  seemingly  ridiculous  story  were  it  promul- 
gated to-morrow?  A  few,  truly,  but  what  a  multitude 
would  scoff,  headed  by  those  who  are  now  enjoying  in 
undisturbed  peace  the  wealth  once  controlled  by  your 
father!  If  the  whole  story  as  related  by  General 
D'Arville  were  printed  in  the  papers  of  Paris  to-morrow, 
it  would  be  interpreted  as  the  clever  offering  of  modern 
journalism — a  sensation — the  talk  of  the  day.  Again,  let 
us  suppose  that  the  emperor  himself  favors.  What  would 
be  said  then  ?  Either  that  he  had  lost  his  head  or  that 
he  had  an  interest  in  supporting  the  assertion  other  than 


250  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

a  patriotic  one.  If  you  are  willing  to  support  the  empire, 
then  I  can  see  a  way  open  in  which  I  can  aid  you.  It  is 
this :  you  are  familiar  with  Mexican  affairs,  are  you  not?" 

"In  a  general  way,  yes.  I  am  aware  that  you  maintain 
a  French  army  in  that  country  in  support  of  the  empire 
of  Maxiamilian. " 

"True,  and  now  that  the  cause  of  the  Union  has  tri- 
umphed in  America,  I  am  ready  to  believe  that  the  North- 
ern party,  who  have  favored  the  Indian  Benito  Juarez  in 
his  claims  on  the  Mexican  presidency,  will  perhaps  give 
him  even  more  assistance  than  before.  There  is  now 
peace  in  all  but  a  few  of  the  Northern  territories  of 
Mexico.  Still,  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  unusual  dis- 
turbances may  break  out  at  any  time.  They  are  a  half- 
Spanish  people,  and  can  carry  on  a  guerrilla  warfare  for 
years.  Maximilian  is  my  friend.  I  wish  to  support  him 
in  his  hour  of  need  by  surrounding  him  with  friends 
upon  whom  I  can  safely  rely.  I  know  the  blood  from 
which  you  sprang.  Now,  suppose  you  were  to  go  to 
Mexico  as  special  military  representative,  with  a  personal 
letter  from  me  to  the  emperor?" 

"In  what  capacity?" 

"Holding  the  rank  of  colonel  in  the  French  army  now 
under  Bazaine,  with  the  promise  from  me  of  rapid  pro- 
motion. Further,  I  will  now  relate  to  you  what  effect 
your  mission  there  will  have  upon  the  recognition  of  your 
legal  claims  upon  the  empire.  You  will  have  now,  at  the 
very  start,  my  support.  You  will  go  to  Mexico  as  my 
special  military  representative.  Your  military  ability 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  251 

will  bring  you  into  prominence.  You  will  aid  the  cause 
which.  I  hold  dear.  Your  name  will  be  mentioned  in  the 
dispatches.  This  can  all  be  arranged  gradually.  The 
French  people  will  thus  become  acquainted  with  the  per- 
sonality of  the  brilliant  young  French-Mexican  officer. 
On  this  side,  by  imperial  influence,  the  story  of  your  life 
and  ancestry  will  first  gain  publicity  through  high  court 
circles ;  this  after  you  have  gained  some  prominence  in 
Mexico.  Through  my  influence  I  am  sure  we  will  be  able 
to  discover  others  who  are  now  alive  who  will  support  the 
statement  made  by  General  D'Arville,  of  the  quasi- 
execution  in  the  gardens  of  Luxembourg." 

"Your  majesty  surely  does  mean " 

Napoleon's  pallid  face  remained  as  impassive  as  ever, 
as  he  replied : 

"I  mean  that  during  your  absence,  if  you  accept  the 
mission,  I  shall  do  all  that  I  can  to  establish  your  claim 
by  removing  obstacles,  preparing  public  opinion,  and 
accumulating  evidence. ' ' 

Armand  was  at  once  reassured,  and  he  hastened  to 
murmur  his  thanks. 

Napoleon  glanced  at  the  card  lying  on  the  salver  which 
an  attendant  had  just  brought  in ;  he  tapped  the  table 
before  him  meditating ;  then  turning  to  the  American  he 
said: 

"A  decision  in  this  matter  is  not  imperative  to-day. 
The  day  following  to-morrow  at  this  hour  will  suffice. 
In  the  meantime  keep  wise  counsel.  Remember  I  ask 
you  this :  to  raise  your  swor  d  for  France.  There  are 


252  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

things  which  I  cannot  say,  but  if  you  accept  the  miision 
it  is  for  France." 

With  this  Armand  departed,  and  lost  but  little  time  in 
repairing  to  the  house  of  the  old  French  officer. 

The  old  general  paid  the  closest  attention  to  Armand 's 
recital,  without  once  interjecting  a  remark,  until  the  con- 
versation which  had  occurred  between  the  American  and 
the  emperor  had  been  repeated  to  him.  It  was  not  until 
Armand  had  asked  what  he  thought  of  the  interview  that 
the  old  soldier  broke  his  silence.  He  took  a  few  inhala- 
tions from  his  cigarette,  then  blowing  the  smoke  toward 
the  ceiling,  he  said: 

"That  which  you  have  just  related  emphasizes  the 
belief  I  have  entertained  regarding  the  emperor's  action. 
If  he  favored  your  claim  it  would  be  because  by  so  doing 
he  would  further  his  own  political  schemes." 

"Then  you  do  not  consider  that  his  proposal  was 
intended  to  benefit  my  claim  as  much  as  his  own  inter- 
ests? How  the  latter,  general?" 

"Why,  my  dear  colonel,  you  modestly  overlook  your 
own  services  in  this  matter.  Recollect  what  I  told  you 
about  his  Mexican  schemes?" 

"Yes,  I  do,  perfectly." 

"Very  well,  then  let  me  say  further,  it  is  possible  that 
even  now  the  emperor  has  intimations  of  serious  compli- 
cation arising  to  prevent  the  success  of  his  dreams  of  the 
Mexican  empire.  He  is  anxious  to  enlist  in  support  of 
his  desires  officers  of  pronounced  ability.  Your  father's 
history  is  familiar  to  him ;  your  own  ability  was  clearly 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  253 

emphasized  by  me  yesterday;  and  now  I  can  see  just  why 
he  seems  so  interested  in  your  history.  Let  me  go  on 
and  suppose  that  you  rise  to  eminence ;  a  fact  of  which  I 
have  no  doubt.  The  emperor  befriends  you.  He  has  a 
sworn  friend  in  you  from  the  hour  you  accept  his  propo- 
sition. He  knows  that  it  will  not  weaken  him  to  raise  to 
positions  of  trust  the  descendants  of  those  men  who  have 
done  so  much  for  France  in  the  dark  days  of  her  history. 
But  first,  you  see,  he  wishes  you  to  assist  in  carrying  out 
his  Mexican  scheme ;  he  uses  you  as  his  tool.  If  he  suc- 
ceeds you  are  promised  your  reward.  As  I  said,  it  is  first 
the  emperor. ' ' 

"But,  general,  is  that  not  true  of  most  of  us?  After 
all,  are  we  not  actuated  in  the  majority  of  our  moves  by 
selfish  motives?" 

"That  may  be,  but  you  are  seeking  to  recover  that 
which  rightfully  is  yours." 

"True,  but  can  I  expect  to  gain  it  without  sacrifice? 
Have  I  a  right  to  expect  that  the  inheritance,  left  under 
such  strange  circumstances,  will  drop  into  my  lap  like  a 
ripe  plum?  Besides,  general,  you  do  not  know,  cannot 
believe,  what  an  impression  the  words  of  the  emperor 
made  upon  me.  While  sitting  here  relating  our  conver- 
sation to  you,  I  could  hardly  retain  myself  until  the  close, 
so  much  was  I  in  haste  to  tell  that " 

"You  had  made  up  your  mind  to  go,  you  young  hot. 
head?" 

"Made  up  my  mind,  general?  Do  you  know  I  have 
not  only  concluded  to  go,  but  frankly,  I  am  madly  infat- 


254  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

uated  with  the  idea.  Just  how  this  has  taken  such  hold 
upon  me  is  more  than  I  can  fathom.  On  my  way  down 
here  I  was  of  course  actively  revolving  the  matter  in  my 
mind ;  but  the  very  instant  I  crossed  your  threshold  my 
mind  seemed  made  up;  I  must  go;  it  is  a  duty.  I 
seemed  drawn  by  some  irresistible  force  to  accept  the 
emperor's  offer.  What  strange  and  inexplicable  attrac- 
tion the  whole  plan  possesses  for  me !  Go !  General, 
nothing  that  you  might  say  could  dissuade  me ;  but  still 
I  am  sad ;  the  only  regret  that  I  have  is ' ' 

"Then  you  have  regret?" 

"To  leave  the  dear  woman  whose  life  is  linked  with 
mine." 

'"'Why  not  have  her  accompany  you?" 

"To  that  country?  Not  while  there  is  active  work  to 
do.  I  am  a  soldier,  and  you  know  that  a  camp  is  not  the 
place  for  a  woman,  even  though  she  be  the  daughter  of 
one  soldier  and  the  wife  of  another.  General,  we  must 
part,  as  I  shall  go  to  Mexico,  there  to  discover  what  the 
fates  hold  in  store  for  me.  Not  until  this  instant  did  I 
realize  just  why  this  determination  to  go  had  come  upoa 
me  with  such  suddenness.  Now  as  a  lightning  flash,  the 
whole  causes  stand  revealed.  I  can  see  it  all. ' ' 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  255 


CHAPTER  XVIL 

THE  SWORD   OP   THE   PYRAMIDS. 

THE  old  soldier  surveyed  for  a  moment  the  excited  man 
before  him,  and  then  asked : 

"And  pray,  explain  what  you  mean  l>j  this  under- 
standing?" 

"You  are  aware,  General  D'Arville,  that  my  father 
prepared  for  me  an  autobiography?" 

"Assuredly." 

"Well,  in  this  he  made  clear  to  me  why  I  was  reared 
in  ignorance  of  my  real  name.  As  you  know,  after  his 
death  Uncle  Pierre  religiously  carried  out  his  promise 
made  to  my  dying  mother.  At  the  time  my  father  wrote 
his  life's  career  for  my  perusal,  the  son  of  Napoleon  by 
his  Austrain  wife  stood  fair  to  become  a  powerful  factor 
in  European  politics.  This  young  Duke  of  Beichstadt 
was  Napoleon  n. ;  and  in  his  last  lines  my  father  stated 
that  he  believed  that  a  Bonaparte  would  once  again  wield 
the  imperial  scepter  over  the  French.  This  my  father 
fondly  hoped  would  come  to  pass.  The  only  request  he  had 
to  make  to  me,  his  son,  was  that,  should  I  reach  years  of 
manhood,  and  a  Napoleon  occupying  the  throne  of  France 
should  ask  assistance  of  my  sword,  I  would  give  it.  He 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

said  it  would  be  fitting  that  the  son  of  a  French  marshal 
should  raise  his  sword  in  behalf  of  the  descendant  of  the 
great  emperor.  It  is  doubly  strange,  too,  that  this 
should  not  have  been  recalled  by  me  until  I  crossed  your 
threshold.  It  all  flashed  upon  me.  My  father  requested 
it.  I  must  go;  it  is  duty." 

"My  dear  Armand,  I  think  you  are  going  a  trifle  too 
far  in  your  application  of  your  father's  request.  It  is 
true  that  when  he  wrote  the  chances  for  the  son  of  Napo- 
leon to  occupy  a  prominent  part  in  France's  history  were 
excellent.  Ah,  and  he  would,  had  not  his  Austrian  rela- 
tives conspired  to  kill  him.  It  was  of  him  your  father 
wrote;  and  at  that  very  time  the  young  duke's  constitu- 
tion was  being  destroyed  by  excesses  into  which  he  was 
led  by  emissaries  of  the  Austrian  monarch.  Yes,  and  at 
that  time  the  one-eyed  Albert,  Count  of  Neipberg,  was 
enjoying  the  society  of  his  mother.  Marie  Louise  was 
weak.  Even  when  Napoleon  returned  from  Elba,  she 
remained  at  Parma;  and  after  the  emperor's  death  con- 
tracted a  morganatic  marriage  with  her  lover.  From 
Napoleon  to  Neipberg — what  descent!  Your  father,  in 
common  with  other  Napoleonic  soldiers,  believed  that  the 
young  King  of  Rome,  as  he  was  baptized,  would  one  day 
rule  the  French.  It  was  not  to  be.  The  Austrians  killed 
him.  France,  however,  had  not  been  overkind  to  Aus- 
tria. Take  Marie  Antoinette,  who  was  beheaded,  and 
Marie  Louise  herself,  thrust  out  by  the  French.  Armand, 
it  was  the  son  of  Napoleon  to  whom  your  father  re- 
ferred; and  unless  you  really  desire  to  go  on  the  emper- 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  257 

or's  mission  to  Mexico  I  do  not  think  you  should  be 
influenced  by  any  romantic  interpretations  which  you 
may  place  upon  his  message." 

"Yes,  general,  but  my  father  said:  'If  ever  a  Napoleon 
sits  on  the  throne  of  France  and  should  ask  your  aid, 
give  it.'  The  emperor  said  to  me,  remember:  *I  ask  you 
this  for  France.'  " 

"Ah,  if  you  could  but  know  in  what  estimation  your 
father  held  this  brood  of  Josephine,  Armand,  you  could 
easily  find  release  from  any  ideas  of  duty,  which  I  think 
partly  sentimental,  to  follow  the  dictation  of  the  son  of 
Hortense. " 

"General  D'Arville,  right  or  wrong,  I  have  concluded 
to  follow  out  the  course  suggested  by  the  emperor.  I 
shall  sail  for  Mexico.  I  feel  that  in  doing  this  I  am 
impelled  by  other  than  sordid  motives.  I  shall  go  not 
alone  to  secure  the  key  which  may  unlock  the  door  to 
hereditary  rights  in  France;  my  principal  motive  in 
going,  and  never  before  this  very  hour  has  it  seemed  a 
duty,  is  more  than  aught  else  to  carry  out  the  only 
request  which  my  father  made.  While  studying  Napo- 
leonic history,  I  have  been  often  impressed  with  the  idea 
that  there  seemed  to  be  some  cursed  fatality  following  up 
Napoleonic  worshipers.  Take  a  score  of  the  most  bril- 
liant soldiers  who  surrounded  him — what  ends  they  met! 
Take  all  the  kings  to  whom  he  gave  crowns — not  one 
remains ;  their  dynasties  have  rotted  away ;  the  kingdom 
of  Sweden  alone  remaining,  but  that  was  hardly  of  Napo- 
leon's creating.  Bernadotte,  although  a  marshal,  was 


258  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

not  a  supporter  but  an  opponent  of  the  emperor.  All 
else  has  crumbled ;  and  the  ill  fate  which  gathered  about 
his  later  days  seemed  to  be  shared  by  those  who  stood 
closest  to  him.  I  have  often  wondered  whether  there 
was  not  a  Napoleonic  curse.  Since  knowing  the  true  his- 
tory of  Marshal  Ney,  my  father,  I  have  dwelt  upon  this. 
But,  curse  or  no  curse,  I  shall  place  my  sword  at  the 
service  of  the  emperor.  No  matter  what  secrets  the 
future  may  hold  for  me ;  no  matter  what  elements  may 
combine  to  defeat  my  personal  ambition;  it  is  destiny, 
general!  No  man  is  strong  enough  to  change  the  work- 
ings of  those  wonderful  controlling  forces  which  are  round 
about  us. ' ' 

General  D'Arville  said,  after  the  young  man  had 
paused : 

"With  your  views,  unalterable  as  they  seem  to  be,  I 
can  hardly  see  the  necessity  of  attempting  to  change  your 
line  of  thought.  Knowing  as  I  do  the  inflexibility  of  the 
Ney  temperament,  I  can  only  say,  Armand,  that  it  is 
not  my  intention  to  dissuade  you  from  going  on  this  mis- 
sion from  other  than  friendly  motives.  I  do,  however, 
wish  you  to  go,  if  go  you  will  with  a  heart  unincumbered 
with  any  semi-romantic  or  sentimental  ideas  regarding 
your  father's  wishes;  and  more  than  all  else,  I  wish 
you  to  clearly  understand  that  I  believe  that  the  emperor, 
in  making  you  the  proposition,  was  prompted  by  other 
motives  than  simply  to  do  what  he  could  for  you ;  or  that 
he  considered  that  your  trip  to  Mexico  was  the  way  in 
which  to  bring  about  the  restoration  of  your  hereditary 


THE   SWORD   OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  259 

rights.  I  believe  that  Louis  Napoleon  first  considers 
himself  in  this  matter,  rather  than  the  rights  of  Armand 
Ney." 

"I  thank  you  very  much,  general,  for  your  kindly 
desires,  I  know  that  your  interest  in  my  welfare  is 
based  on  the  purest  friendship.  I  have  not  forgotten 
your  many  kindnesses  to  me.  In  fact,  my  whole  Pari- 
sian sojourn  was  warmed  and  colored,  as  it  were,  by  your 
never-ending  generosity.  Now  that  I  have  learned  the 
truth  of  my  father's  life,  I  have  felt  that  it  was  more  than 
an  ordinary  bond  of  friendship  which  united  us.  Ah, 
general,  what  a  loyal,  what  a  noble  coterie  of  friends  sur- 
rounded my  father !  If  ever  man  was  blessed  with  true 
friends  that  man  was  Marshal  Ney." 

"And  if  ever  man  deserved  true  friends  that  man  was 
your  father.  Can  we  ever  forget  'the  bravest  of  the 
brave?'  I  was  young,  perhaps  the  youngest  officer  who 
enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the  great  marshal;  but  a 
famous  saying  of  his  was:  'For  council,  old  men;  for 
fighting,  young  men.'  Perhaps  it  was  because  I  was 
young  and  impetuous  that  he  was  first  attracted  toward 
me,  and  later  made  me  one  of  his  trusted  officers.  To  go 
back  to  those  old  days  in  memory  is  like  thrusting  back 
the  curtain  from  some  old,  disused  room  in  which  hangs 
priceless  relics.  The  never-to-be-forgotten  days  come 
back  to  me  with  a  distinctness  which  years  cannot  dim. 
For  those  memories  alone  I  would  not  exchange  a  king's 
ransom.  To  think  that  I  have  lived,  have  fought,  have 
bled  in  the  greatest  epoch  which  Europe  has  ever  seen;  I 


260  THE  SWORD   OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

have  ridden  by  the  side  of  the  great  soldier  who  made 
the  world  tremble  at  his  words ;  I  have  been  close  in  the 
councils  of  his  chiefs ;  I  have  been — well,  what  wonder, 
Armand,  that  the  old  man  in  his  dotage  grows  weak  and 
mouths  like  a  braggart?  I  am  almost  alone" — and  the 
old  soldier's  eyes  dimmed,  as  his  mind  dwelt  upon  the 
fact  that  the  ranks  of  the  old  guard  had  thinned  to  a 
weak,  wavering  line,  a  human  fringe  soon  to  be  dashed 
and  broken  by  the  ever-moving  waves  of  time. 

The  next  day,  when  Armand  called  upon  the  old 
French  officer,  he  found  him  in  his  study,  busily  engaged 
in  reviewing  an  article  which  he  had  prepared  on  the 
military  conditions  of  France,  intended  for  publication 
in  a  leading  Parisian  monthly. 

He  flung  down  his  pencil,  and  after  greetings  had  been 
exchanged  he  said  in  words  in  which  the  accent  of  pride 
and  tenderness  was  clearly  distinguishable : 

"Armand,  it  is  difficult  for  me  to  write  about  military 
France  without  doing  all  in  my  power  to  extol  the  great 
and  matchless  attributes  of  my  old  chief.  His  glory  is 
the  pride  of  every  true  Frenchman. ' ' 

Armand  replied : 

"General,  the  French  are  distinctly  a  military  people; 
one  does  not  tarry  long  in  Paris  without  realizing  that 
he  is  among  a  military  race,  born  and  bred  in  the  leg- 
endry  and  traditions  of  war.  Again,  in  the  provincial  parts 
of  France  one  sees  the  grizzled  veterans,  physically  the 
counterparts  of  those  men  who  marched  from  the  south 
singing  the  'Marseillaise/  or  those  who  crossed  the 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  261 

Alps  with  the  great  Napoleon  for  the  campaign  of 
Italy." 

"Yes,  truly,  but  our  present  army  is  not  up  to  the 
standard  of  the  French  army  in  the  old  days ;  I  mean 
in  point  of  efficiency  and  morale.  There  are  more  toy  sol- 
diers, more  drawing-room  officers  in  our  army  than  ever 
before.  There  should  be  better  discipline;  our  army 
should  be  the  best  from  a  modern  military  standpoint  in 
Europe.  France  has  enemies  without  as  well  as  within 
her  borders. ' ' 

"But  surely, "  Armand  said,  "from  Calais  to  Marseilles 
one  hears  the  measured  tread  of  French  soldiers,  and  you 
used  to  say  that  every  Frenchman  is  born  with  red 
trousers  on  and  that  he  plays  soldier  with  the  same 
enthusiasm  with  which  he  goes  into  a  real  fight." 

"True,  my  boy,  but  those  men  need  leaders;  we  have 
the  material ;  but  where  are  the  men  who  can  lead  the 
French  army  as  it  has  been  led  in  the  past?  Alas,  we 
have  them  not.  I  have  been  thinking  over  the  present 
existing  conditions  of  our  army,  and  I  feel  to-day  that 
you  have  decided  upon  a  course  which  may  prove  advan- 
tageous to  you  in  more  ways  than  one.  While  revising 
this  article  on  the  French  military  resources,  I  have  been 
strongly  impressed  with  the  belief  that  never  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  nation  has  there  been  a  better  opportunity 
offered  for  the  possible  advance  in  official  rank  in  our 
army  than  there  is  at  present.  Understand  me,  I  do  not 
mean  that  promotion  may  be  immediate.  But  should 
this  country  be  plunged  in  war  in  the  near  future,  we 


202  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

have  no  one  in  power  now  who  possesses  the  necessary 
fitness  to  command.  As  in  the  case  of  the  American  war, 
those  now  in  command  would  soon  be  retired  on  account 
of  their  inability  to  cope  with  the  enemy  successfully. 
And  as  in  the  case  of  the  Union  army,  conditions  and 
events  would  bring  the  right  man  to  the  front.  I  wish 
to  say  that  in  my  opinion  to-day  your  association  with 
the  French  army  in  Mexico  may  prove  most  advantageous 
to  you.  In  America  it  required  a  Grant  to  carry  the 
cause  of  the  Union  to  success,  and  before  the  North  dis- 
covered that  soldier  its  armies  suffered  inglorious  defeat. " 

"You  know  we  used  to  call  Grant  'the  Hammerer,' 
general. ' ' 

"His  sledge-hammer  blows  made  it  impossible  for  Lee 
to  handle  his  rapier  in  such  a  way  as  to  break  their  force. 
Tet,  studying  the  American  war  closely,  as  I  have,  and 
from  an  impartial  standpoint,  I  think  that  the  Northern 
general  proved  himself  the  greatest  soldier  of  this  period. 
Some  of  his  moves  reminded  me  of  the  moves  of  the  great 
Napoleon. ' ' 

"And  I  consider  that  our  Lee  was  infinitely  his  supe- 
rior as  a  military  tactician,  as  a  strategist,  and  in  all  the 
essentials  which  go  toward  making  a  great  leader." 

"I  can  well  understand  why  you  entertain  such  views. 
It  is  quite  natural  that  you  should.  But  you  know  an 
old  man  who  is  not  influenced  by  other  motives  than 
those  which  interest  the  student  of  military  history  is  apt 
to  overlook  many  of  those  elements  in  a  soldier's  make- 
up which  are  at  once  fascinating  to  a  younger,  more 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  263 

impetuous  man,  in  whose  veins  the  flush  of  young  man- 
hood flows,  and  who  may  be  influenced  by  family  ties,  as 
well  as  by  a  certain  sentimental  love  for  chivalrous  deeds 
as  exemplified  in  the  Confederate  leader.  He  was  a  man 
cast  in  a  finer  mold  than  General  Grant,  truly;  a  man 
who  would  have  shone  as  a  star  in  the  days  of  knight 
errantry;  but  as  a  hard-headed  soldier,  brusque  and 
business-like,  the  typical  American,  with  his  bulldog 
adhesiveness,  Grant  was  his  military  superior." 

Armand  was  loyal  to  the  leader  whom  he  had  followed 
to  the  fateful  field  of  Appomattox ;  and  the  elder  man, 
knowing  the  hero  worship  which  he  held  for  Lee,  after  a 
few  complimentary  remarks  changed  the  topic  of  con- 
versation. 

"I  made  yesterday  an  important  discovery.  You 
stated  to  me  that  the  fire  at  your  old  plantation  destroyed 
all  the  records,  all  the  mementos  that  Marshal  Ney  had 
left  for  you?"  he  asked  later. 

"Not  a  scrap  in  existence,"  answered  the  American. 
"You  see  the  manuscripts  and  other  valuables  that  Uncle 
Pierre  had  laid  carefully  away  in  an  iron  box  underneath 
the  steps  were  left  all  in  disorder  in  the  room  where  I 
had  placed  and  examined  them  after  exhuming  them. 
When  I  was  aroused  the  room,  in  fact  that  wing  of  the 
house,  was  a  mass  of  flames.  It  was  impossible  to  save  a 
memento.  I  think  even  before  I  was  awakened  the  entire 
contents  of  the  box  had  been  consumed  by  fire.  It 
seemed  particularly  hard  that  the  very  night  I  held  in  my 
hands  seemingly  indisputable  proofs  of  my  birthright, 


264  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

they  should  be  swept  out  of  existence.  All  that  remained 
for  me  was  the  memory  that  my  father  was  the  Prince  of 
Moskwa.  I  had  only  cursorily  examined  the  other  con- 
tents of  the  box,  so  anxious  was  I  to  read  the  manuscript. 
There  was  a  memento  upon  which  my  father  especially 
bore.  I  do  not  recollect  of  even  seeing  it  in  the  box. 
Perhaps  you  may  be  aware  of  the  interest  which  it  pos- 
sessed for  him.  Its  history  was  entrancing,  yet  fateful. 
I  refer  to  the  sword  given  him  by  the  emperor,  who 
brought  it  from  his  Egyptian  campaign. ' ' 

The  veteran's  eyes  sparkled  under  their  white,  over- 
hanging brows,  while  a  smile  flitted  across  his  lips  as  he 
asked: 

"You  mean  that  sword  Marshal  Ney  used  to  call  the 
sword  of  the  pyramids?" 

"The  same.  Were  you  acquainted  with  its  fateful 
history?" 

"In  a  slight  way  I  know  that  it  always  had  for  the 
marshal  a  peculiar  fascination.  If  my  memory  serves  me 
aright,  he  told  me  that  while  wearing  the  sword  of  the 
pyramids  he  never  lost  a  battle.  It  was  few,  indeed,  that 
he  ever  lost ;  but  I  know  that  the  sword  had  for  him 
some  strange  attraction.  Napoleon  brought  it  back  from 
the  pyramids,  hence  I  know  that  he  always  referred  to  it 
as  the  sword  of  the  pyramids.  I  know,  too,  that  there 
was  some  story  connected  with  its  history,  but  I  am  un- 
acquainted with  it.  You  say  that  he  referrred  to  the 
sword  specially  in  his  biography?" 

"Yes;  it  seems  that  when  the  emperor  presented  it  to 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  265 

him  he  related  its  history  as  told  by  the  former  owner. 
After  my  father  had  possessed  it  for  some  time  he  became 
interested  in  its  story,  and  traced  it  back  by  tradition 
through  centuries.  It  appears  that  a  curse  was  on  the 
sword  since  the  first  owner  was  beheaded,  and  tradition 
had  it  that  every  wearer  of  it  met  a  peculiar  death.  In 
many  cases  they  were  insurrectionists,  as  I  recollect,  and 
were  punished  with  death  for  their  actions  against  exist- 
ing governments,  in  other  words,  for  treason." 

"Not  difficult,  surely,"  said  General  D'Arville,  "to 
believe  that,  when  the  history  of  centuries  was  nothing 
but  continfal  struggle  for  supremacy.  No  sooner  was 
one  man  comfortably  seated  on  a  throne  as  ruler  than 
some  adventurer,  with  a  few  other  warlike  spirits,  would 
seek  to  overturn  him.  So  as  far  as  tradition  goes,  I 
think  we  may  accept  the  statement,  of  course,  with  some 
allowance  for  superstition,  that  every  wearer  of  the  sword 
met  a  violent  death. ' ' 

"Still,"  persisted  Armand,  "my  father  himself  became 
to  a  certain  extent  a  believer  in  its  fateful  history.  He 
wrote  particularly  of  this  feeling  when  he  was  impris- 
oned just  previous  to  his  alleged  execution.  He  was  pre- 
paring for  his  earthly  exit ;  and  when  about  to  fasten  his 
sword  upon  his  person,  the  whole  history  of  the  strange 
weapon,  the  sultan's  curse,  who  first  owned  it,  came  upon 
him  with  awful  distinctness.  He  realized  that  its  history 
would  prove  true  in  his  case,  as  he  was  about  to  be  shot, 
even  as  Napoleon  had  dispatched  its  former  owner  for 
treason.  There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  he  was  deeply 


266  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

impressed  with  the  strange  history.  I  am  inclined  to 
think,  also,  that  it  possessed  for  him  an  attraction  even 
greater  than  he  would  be  free  to  admit.  I  read  his 
words  with  intense  interest,  but  it  was  not  for  me  to  even 
gaze  upon  the  strange  old  weapon  with  such  a  terrible 
history.  My  valet,  Lafe,  found,  after  digging  in  the 
ruins  of  the  old  house,  a  mass  of  metal,  silver  and  gold, 
all  that  was  left.  The  jewels,  even  the  gold  coin  hoarded 
by  Uncle  Pierre,  had  been  reduced  to  a  mass;  but 
nothing  was  found  which  even  resembled  a  twisted  sword 
blade.  So  the  story  of  the  sword  of  the  pyramids  ended 
with  the  destruction  of  Stone  House." 

A  smile  lighted  up  the  face  of  D'Arville,  as  he  said: 

"Armand,  that  sword  was  not  destroyed;  strangely 
enough,  out  of  all  the  effects  of  Marshal  Ney,  that  old 
blade  is  all  that  remains." 

"Not  destroyed!  surely,  general,  I  have  the  best  rea- 
son to  believe  that  it  was.  I  repeat  that  there  was  not  a 
trace  of  it  after  the  fire  at  the  stone  house." 

"And,  Armand,  I  repeat  that  the  sword  was  not  de- 
stroyed. It  was  not  there ;  it  never  reached  Virginia. " 

The  young  man  looked  at  the  speaker  in  amazement. 

"Not  there,  general!  speak  what  is  on  your  mind!  If 
not  there  where  in  Heaven's  name  was  it?" 

"Here." 

"In  Paris?" 

"In  this  house." 

Plainly  the  young  officer  was  laboring  under  tremen- 
dous excitement.  While  reading  his  father's  manuscript 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  267 

he  had  become  much  interested  in  the  history  of  the 
queer  old  blade  which  had  such  a  strange  history,  and  to 
hear  D'Arville  speak  as  he  did  regarding  it  greatly 
accentuated  that  interest. 

D'Arville  was  quick  to  render  an  explanation. 

"Briefly,  I  will  explain.  You  are  aware  that  after  your 
father's  supposed  execution  he  was  brought  to  my 
house?" 

"He  so  stated  in  his  papers  to  me." 

"Well,  at  that  time  he  wore  that  sword.  In  the  excite- 
ment incident  to  his  departure  from  French  territory,  I 
suppose  the  sword  was  overlooked.  One  of  my  servants, 
supposing  that  it  was  my  property,  placed  it  among  my 
effects,  where  it  remained  for  years.  I  was  in  ignorance 
of  its  whereabouts,  and  not  hearing  from  your  father  in 
regard  to  his  effects,  the  shipping  of  which  fell  entirely 
to  the  lot  of  Colonel  Breton,  I,  of  course  believed  that  all 
he  desired  was  with  him.  Again,  I  had  no  particular 
reason  to  believe  that  he  valued  the  blade  so  highly  or 
was  so  interested  in  its  history.  For  years  I  lived  away 
from  Paris.  When  I  returned  to  remain  here  I  purchased 
this  property. 

My  effects  were  then  moved  hither.  You  know 
what  a  great  amount  of  curios,  blades  of  all  countries, 
knives  brought  from  India,  assegais  from  Zululand,  an 
old  traveler  like  me  will  accumulate.  These  were  left  in 
partial  chaos  for  years  in  my  house.  I  had  never  felt  the 
ambition  or  the  desire  to  rearrange  them.  The  liking 
for  them  had  fled.  Last  night  while  writing  this  maga- 


268  THE  SWORD   OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

zine  article  I  mentioned  a  singular  weapon  which  I  had 
seen  used  by  some  of  the  tribes  of  Central  Africa.  I 
knew  that  I  brought  one  back  with  me  when  I  retired 
from  the  colonial  service.  I  became  interested  to  again 
see  it.  I  sought  the  room  in  which  were  scattered 
mementos  of  the  chase  and  war.  While  rummaging 
there  I  came  across  a  queer-looking  sword.  At  the  first 
glance  I  thought  it  was  one  that  I  had  picked  up  at  Con- 
stantinople ;  but  upon  examination  I  knew  that  it  was  not 
mine.  It  was  strangely  jeweled.  Looking  over  its  hilt 
I  saw  a  number  of  Turkish  and  Arabic  characters.  Look- 
ing closer  I  saw  an  inscription,  'Bonaparte  to  Ney. '  I 
knew  then  that  it  was  the  sword  given  to  your  father  by 
Napoleon  when  he  was  General  Bonaparte.  I  knew  that 
it  was  the  blade  he  wore  when  officially  executed  by  the 
king's  order.  I  then  thought  what  pleasure  it  would 
give  you  to  know  that  you  still  had  your  father's  sword. 
I  was  not  aware  in  what  strange  esteem  he  held  it  until 
you  had  enlightened  me.  Now,  Armand,  I  am  sure  that 
it  was  your  father's  wish  that  the  sword  should  remain 
with  me.  Or,  if  not,  that  it  was  delicacy  on  his  part 
that  prevented  his  writing  about  it.  Either  that,  or  he 
believed  that  it  had  been  lost  in  some  way  and  he  did  not 
wish  to  remind  me  of  the  loss.  It  now  seems  most  for- 
tunate ;  for  had  it  been  sent  to  him  it  would  have  been 
destroyed.  Now  it  gives  me  inexpressible  pleasure  to 
hand  to  you  the  sword  prized  so  highly  by  your  princely 
father.  Strange,  indeed,  that  out  of  all  his  effects  his 
sword  alone  should  have  been  saved  for  you." 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  269 

"The  sword,  general — pardon  my  impatience — may  I 
see  it  now?" 

"Surely;  one  moment  and  I  will  return  with  it;"  and 
the  veteran  stepped  briskly  out  of  the  room.  Keturning, 
he  extended  to  Armand  a  blade,  half  rust  covered,  and 
strangely  wrought.  The  young  man  accepted  it  in 
silence.  He  moved  his  chair  to  a  point  where  he  ob- 
tained a  better  light  while  he  examined  the  historic 
weapon. 

Strange  thoughts  passed  through  the  mind  of  Armand 
Breton  as  he  sat  silently  turning  the  old  sultan's  sword 
in  his  hands,  while  he  examined  the  engravings  upon  its 
jewel-incrusted  hilt.  He  held  in  his  hands  the  blade 
which  had  been  first  held  by  the  opponent  of  Zenghis 
Khan.  His  curse  was  upon  it.  Every  wearer,  so  ran 
the  ancient  tradition,  had  been  executed.  And  yet,  not- 
withstanding the  awful  history,  each  wearer  relinquished 
it  only  when  death  claimed  him.  Its  attraction,  due  to 
some  inexplicable  magnetic  force,  was  beyond  sober  com- 
prehension. The  sword  of  Timour!  the  sword  of  the 
pyramids!  and  the  young  man's  face  lighted  with  a 
gleam  of  pride  as  he  thought — the  sword  of  Ney,  as 
well.  The  sword  of  Marengo,  of  Moscow,  of  Austerlitz, 
of  Waterloo — no,  not  of  Waterloo,  because  his  father 
had  never  worn  it  in  defeat.  The  jewels  in  the  hilt  were 
half-hidden  by  the  accumulations  of  years.  Brushing  it 
with  his  handkerchief,  the  large  opal  emitted  a  soft  glow. 
This  was  the  pale  opal  which  his  father  said  had  glowed 
blood-red  at  Moscow.  He  watched  it  curiously;  then 


270  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

he  noted  the  engraving  beneath  some  Arabic  letters, 
"Bonaparte,  to  Ney."  His  father  had  dedicated  this 
sword  to  the  service  of  Napoleon.  It  had  come  to  him, 
and  he  had  just  pledged  himself  to  the  maintenance  of 
Napoleonic  rule.  Turning  to  D'Arville,  Armand  said: 

"General,  I  am  not  entirely  devoid  of  that  in  my  make- 
up which  is  commonly  termed  fatalism.  It  seems  to  be  a 
birthright  of  the  Neys.  And  looking  at  this  reminder  of 
an  historic  as  well  as  a  fateful  past,  I  am  reminded  of  a 
strange  chain  of  circumstances.  This  sword  influenced 
my  father;  whatever  its  occult  force  may  be  he  was  im- 
pressed by  it.  It  was  given  him  by  Napoleon,  and  he 
solemnly  dedicated  it  to  his  service.  While  wearing  it 
he  never  knew  defeat.  You  well  remember  it  was  not 
worn  by  him  at  "Waterloo.  All  his  other  belongings  were 
swept  away;  this  sword  alone  remains.  I  have  just  de- 
cided to  do  as  the  emperor  asks;  and  lo,  you  place  in 
my  hands  the  sword  of  the  pyramids.  Is  this  all  chance, 
or  is  it  fate  ?  Is  not  this  same  sword  placed  in  my  hands 
to  carry  out  definite  purposes?  Is  it  not  the  means  with 
which  to  carve  my  way  to  recognition  ?  It  has  never  been 
wielded  in  defeat.  It  was  once  dedicated  by  Marshal 
Ney  to  the  service  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte.  His  son  now 
solemnly  rededicates  it  to  the  support  of  Louis  Napoleon ! ' ' 
And  Armand  reverently  touched  his  lips  to  the  pale  opal 
in  its  hilt. 

D'Arville  had  watched  the  young  man  closely,  and  he 
noted  his  apparent  devotion  to  the  cause  which  he 
pledged  himself  to  uphold.  He  believed  in  his  own 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  271 

mind  that  the  younger  man  was  influenced  by  a  certain 
amount  of  romanticism  generated  by  the  peculiar  condi- 
tions which  surrounded  him.  Armand's  enthusiasm  was 
so  sincere  that  the  general  refrained  from  reminding 
him  of  the  dark  side  of  the  sword's  history.  Breton  had 
become  a  worshiper  at  the  Napoleonic  shrine.  Perhaps 
it  would  be  best  to  leave  him  there  rather  than  to  attempt 
to  dispel  any  of  his  fond  illusions.  The  old  soldier 
wisely  held  to  his  own  views  in  silence,  and  rather  en- 
couraged the  younger,  as  he  added : 

"Enthusiasm  and  earnestness  of  purpose  are  essential 
to  gain  success.  It  is  the  wish  of  your  old  friend  to  see 
you  gain  your  heart's  desire.  Before  I  am  mustered  out, 
Armand,  may  I  see  you  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  the  reali- 
zation of  your  fondest  hopes.  May  the  measure  to  you 
be  meted  out  full  and  abounding. ' ' 

"Thanks,  dear  general,  the  steel  in  your  nature  rings 
fine  and  true.  Would  that  my  life's  history  could  be 
one  of  such  unselfish  ends  as  yours.  While  the  snow- 
fall of  time  has  been  stealing  over  you,  whitening  your 
locks,  it  has  not  chilled  your  heart,  which  pulses  as 
warmly  to-day  with  generous  feelings  as  it  did  when  in 
the  flush  of  young  manhood  you  fought  side  by  side  with 
the  men  who  have  made  bright  the  pages  of  French  his- 
tory. You  are  now  in  the  sunset  of  life ;  you  can  look 
back  through  a  long  vista  of  years.  In  this  vista  there  is 
blood,  carnage,  the  creation  of  new  empires,  the  destruc- 
tion of  old.  The  echo  of  the  great  and  stirring  times 
through  which  you  have  passed  will  linger  forever  in  the 


272  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

galleries  of  memory.  It  is  well  that  one  who  has  gone 
through  such  mighty  storms,  at  which  the  whole  world 
trembled,  should  now  enjoy  the  full  consciousness  of  a  life 
well  spent.  It  is  right  that  you  should  now  be  sur- 
rounded by  peace  and  sunlight." 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  273 


CHAPTER 


I    ACCEPT. 

ON  his  way  home  Arinand  was  debating  in  his  mind  as 
to  just  how  he  would  break  the  news  of  his  acceptance  of 
the  emperor's  mission  to  Lucille.  This,  coupled  with  the 
fact  that  soon  he  must  leave  her,  made  his  heart  heavy. 
Lucille  met  him  at  the  entrance  to  their  apartments. 

"Armand,  dear,"  she  said,  "you  can't  guess  what  news 
I  have  received  from  America  to-day  —  from  Lloyd,  '  '  and 
her  face  was  aglow  with  pleasurable  excitement  while  she 
waited  for  Breton's  answer. 

"I'll  wager  a  kiss  I  can,  my  love,  and  will  claim  my 
forfeit  right  now,"  laughingly  replied  Armand,  as  he 
pressed  her  pouting  lips. 

"But  you  haven't  even  guessed,  and  you  have  taken 
advantage  of  my  weakness  to  claim  your  forfeit.  '  ' 

"Well,  in  such  a  case  we  have  settled  the  wager  before- 
hand. Now  you  can  tell  me  all  about  it,  as  I  see  you  are 
just  dying  to  do,"  said  Breton. 

"I  have  just  the  funniest  news  from  Lloyd.  It  will 
surprise  you,  too,  when  you  hear  it." 

"Well,  why  don't  you  hurry  and  tell  me?" 

"Because  you  claimed  a  bet  before  you  won  it,  and  now 


274  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

you  will  have  to  wait.  The  news,  of  course,  will  interest 
you.  I  was  so  surprised.  Why,  I  didn't  even  guess 
that  things  would  come  out  so. ' ' 

"Why  don't  you  tell  me?  If  you  don't  tell  me  now 
that  you  have  excited  my  interest,  I  shall  claim  another 
forfeit." 

"You  dare  not,  I  shall  have  your  court-martialed. 
Lloyd  is  fond  of  giving  surprises;  don't  you  think  so?" 

"Yes,  precisely,  and  you  are  fond  of  teasing,  aren't 
you?" 

"Moderately,  especially  when  a  big,  strong,  bear-like 
man  takes  advantage  of  my  feminine  weakness.  Lloyd  is 
coming  here." 

Armand  was  delighted  with  the  information.  With 
Lloyd  in  Paris  he  felt  that  it  would  be  much  easier  for 
him  to  leave  Lucille. 

"Joyful  news;  and  when  will  he  sail?"  he  asked. 

"I  have  a  cablegram  from  him  stating  that  he  will  leave 
to-morrow  and  that  he  will  not  come  alone." 

"What?" 

"Lloyd  is  married;  he  followed  the  example  set  by 
you." 

"Wise  man;  and  whom  did  he  marry?" 

"Some  one  you  know  well." 

"Keally,  I  have,  you  know,  a  very  limited  acquaintance 
among  the  fair  ones  in  America.  I  shall  have  to  give  it 
up  and  pay  you  back  your  forfeit. ' ' 

"No,  sir,  I  will  not  accept  it.  Lloyd  married  Nita 
Calvert." 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  275 

"Nita  Calvert!  "Well,  little  wife,  you  have  given  me  a 
surprise  truly.  Ah,  Lloyd  is  fortunate;  she  is  a  noble 
girl.  Her  devotion  to  the  Southern  cause  was  sublime. 
When  I  sent  Lloyd  to  Kichmond  she  nursed  him  back  to 
mental  health.  I  little  thought  that  when  I  sent  Lafe 
with  him  to  Nita  at  Bichmond  I  was  sending  along  a 
husband  to  her. ' ' 

"Nita  is  a  dear,  sweet  girl.  I  love  her  very  much.  In 
our  schooldays  she  was  my  most  intimate  friend,  and  our 
regard  for  each  other  has  long  outlived  those  days.  I 
could  not  have  wished  Lloyd  greater  happiness  than  to 
have  won  the  love  of  Nita  Calvert.  But  I  never  even 
dreamed  of  such  a  thing  coming  to  pass.  By  to-day's 
steamer  I  had  a  long  letter  from  her  with  a  postscript 
from  Lloyd.  I  had  only  gotten  over  my  surprise  when  a 
cablegram  came  advising  me  of  their  trip  to  Europe. 
The  letter  was  written  for  both  of  us,  and  it  is  on  my 
desk  when  you  care  to  read  it, ' '  added  Lucille. 

"Of  course,  Lucille,  you  know  of  Nita's  engagement  to 
Edmond  Esten,  and  how  his  death  at  the  battle  of 
Rutgers*  ended  it?"  asked  Breton. 

"Yes,  certainly;  was  I  not  in  Bichmond  when  she  was 
at  the  hospital?  Have  you  forgotten,  so  quickly  sir,  the 
race  we  had?"  and  Lucille  looked  up  archly  at  her  hus- 
band. "Besides,"  she  continued,  "Nita  said  that  she 
told  Lloyd  all  the  love  of  her  youth  was  buried  in  the 
grave  of  Edmond  Esten.  She  thought  she  never  could 
love  another  as  she  had  her  first  love.  She  was,  indeed, 
very  candid  with  Lloyd ;  she  told  him  if  he  wished  to 


276  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

take  her  with  the  belief  that  respect  would  ripen  into  a 
late  love  she  was  willing  to  become  his  wife ;  this  was 
before  their  engagement.  I  am  rather  of  the  opinion, 
after  reading  their  letter,  that  her  feelings  have  under- 
gone a  rapid  change.  I  should  say  they  were  as  com- 
pletely in  love  with  each  other — as " 

"Well,  why  not  say — as  we  are." 

"If  it  pleases  you  to  hear  me  say  it,  consider  it  said. 
Although,  Armand  dear,  I  should  not  be  willing  to  admit 
that  any  one  was  quite  as  ridiculously  silly  as  you  are  at 
times." 

"Another  forfeit,  little  girl." 

"What  a  jolly  time  we  will  all  have  here  soon,"  said 
Lucille  demurely.  "You  know  I  think  papa  and  mamma 
will  be  over,  too.  Lloyd  and  Nita,  and  you  and  I — what 
a  reunion !  Perhaps,  too,  we  will  travel  awhile  together. 
Why,  Armand  dear,  how  troubled  you  look.  Tell  me 
what  is  on  your  mind.  You  have  told  me  nothing  of 
your  visit  to  the  emperor.  Now,  sir,  will  you  be  pleased 
to  give  an  account  of  yourself?  Why  should  that 
troubled  look  overshadow  your  brow?" 

Armand  fidgeted  nervously,  and  at  last  began 
with: 

"Lucille,  I  cannot  help  looking  troubled  when  I  realize 
that  our  tarry  here  together  will  be  so  short." 

"Why,  Armand,  surely  you  are  not  going  to  hurry 
away  now?"  and  Lucille  opened  her  eyes  wide  with 
amazement  as  she  looked  at  her  husband. 

"My  darling,  I  can't  tell  you  how  much  it  grieves  me 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  277 

to  say  it,  but  I  fear  our  stay  in  Paris  this  time  must  be 
short-lived.  I  must  leave  you. ' ' 

"Leave  me,  Armand?"  and  a  look  of  wonderment  and 
horror  swept  over  Lucille 's  features. 

"My  decision  is  made.  But  sit  down,  Lucille,  and  I 
will  tell  you  all  about  what  I  mean." 

Armand  then  began  to  tell  of  the  events  of  the  day, 
beginning  with  his  meeting  with  the  emperor  and  the 
proposition  made  by  him.  He  said  he  had  decided  to 
accept  the  mission,  and  go  to  Mexico ;  that  in  this  course 
he  was  carrying  out  the  last  request  of  his  father.  He 
also  told  of  the  finding  of  the  old  sword.  In  relating  all 
this  in  detail  the  young  man  brought  out  the  fact  that  he 
was  actuated  by  a  certain  sense  of  honor,  as  well  as  in- 
fluenced by  the  desire  to  obtain  his  rightful  position 
in  France.  He  refrained  from  touching  upon  the  fateful 
history  of  the  sword.  Lucille  listened,  and  while  her 
face  was  pale  with  emotion,  she  never  interjected  an  ex- 
clamation as  the  young  man  told  her  of  his  hopes  and 
his  beliefs  in  a  low,  earnest  tone.  Occasionally  a  tear 
stole  out  from  under  her  eyelashes  and  trickled  down  her 
cheeks.  She  shuddered  when  Armand  had  told  her  of 
the  finding  of  the  sword. 

"And  this,  Armand,  is  the  sword  of  which  your  father 
wrote — the  sword  with  all  that  horrid  history?" 

"The  same;  the  only  reminder  left  meof  my  father's 
possessions." 

"Armand,  it  would  be  unfair  for  me  to  ask  you  to 
abandon  this  project  which  you  deem  wise  and  which  has 


278  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

impressed  you  so  deeply  in  a  chivalric  sense.  Far  be  it 
from  me,  my  dear  husband,  to  thwart  your  ambitions  in 
any  way ;  your  glory  is  my  glory ;  our  lives  are  linked 
closely  together,  and  I  would  not  seek  to  dissuade  you, 
my  beloved,  from  undertaking  this  mission  by  a  display 
of  womanish  fears.  I  would  say  this :  you  married  me,  a 
plain  Yankee  girl ;  you  seek  now  to  bestow  upon  me  titles 
and  riches.  I  would  rather  live  my  life  with  plain 
Armand  Breton  and  contribute  my  quota  to  your  happi- 
ness than  to  live  apart  from  you  with  all  the  wealth  of 
the  Indies  and  with  all  the  titles  within  the  gift  of  the 
emperor.  And  yet,  notwithstanding  that  your  duty  lies 
in  far-off  Mexico,  I  shall  not  seek  to  hold  you,  but  shall 
say  Godspeed,  and  pray  to  Him  to  hasten  the  day  when 
you  will  be  once  more  with  me. ' ' 

"My  precious  girl,  it  is  most  cheering  to  me  to  have 
you  express  yourself  in  such  a  noble,  thoughtful  man- 
ner. You  make  the  parting  less  difficult  for  me.  The 
sorrow  of  my  absence  will  be  somewhat  assuaged  by  the 
comforting  thought  that  you  are  in  sympathy  with  the 
causes  which  bring  about  my  departure.  Maybe  our 
separation  will  not  be  for  long. ' ' 

"And  will  you  have  to  go  so  quickly?" 

"That  depends  entirely  upon  the  emperor.  I  shall  tell 
him  to-morrow  that  I  await  his  instructions." 

"I  wish  you  would  do  one  thing  for  my  sake." 

"With  pleasure;  anything." 

"I  do  wish  you  would  leave  that  horrid  old  sword 
here." 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  279 

Breton's  brow  clouded  a  trifle. 

"I  had  set  my  heart  upon  taking  it.  You  know  my 
father  prized  it  highly,  and  I  have  really  sworn  to  wield 
it  in  the  emperor's  behalf." 

"Yes,  but  only  think;  it  will  be  hard  enough  for  me  to 
bear  your  absence ;  it  would  worry  me  to  death  to  think 
of  your  having  with  you  that  sword  with  its  awful 
history." 

"You  are  a  dear,  brave  little  wife,  and  although  I  place 
a  romantic  value  upon  the  sword,  yet  I  hold  your  happi- 
ness above  that,  and  if  it  will  cause  you  uneasiness  for 
me  to  carry  the  sword  I  will  leave  it  here. " 

"Oh,  thank  you;  I  should  dread  so  much  to  have  you 
carry  it." 

"That  is  settled;  I  will  bring  it  over  to-morrow ;  you 
shall  see  it." 

Armand  Breton  had  set  his  heart  upon  carrying  with 
him  the  sword  which  had  always  led  his  father  to  vic- 
tory ;  yet  when  he  saw  how  Lucille  would  be  worried  he 
concluded  that  the  best  way  would  be  to  let  the  matter 
drop,  rather  than  to  prolong  by  discussion  a  subject  that 
proved  so  abhorrent  to  her. 

At  the  hour  appointed  the  following  day  he  called  upon 
the  emperor.  After  greetings  had  been  exchanged,  Bre- 
ton thought  he  noticed  that  the  emperor  was  slightly 
perturbed.  He  became  sure  of  this  after  Napoleon  had 
made  a  few  nervous  turns  in  his  chair,  then  arose  and 
pace*?  the  floor,  wearing  a  preoccupied  expression  upon 
his  sallow  features.  Suddenly,  halting  before  the  Ameri- 


280  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

can,  who  had  been  loath  to  break  the  silence,  the 
emperor  asked  in  quick,  excited  words : 

"And  your  decision — have  you  arrived  at  it?  speak!" 

"I  have  decided,"  replied  Breton,  in  firm  tones,  "to 
accept  the  mission  which  your  highness  had  deemed  me 
worthy  to  undertake. ' ' 

"Enough,  and  good;  your  decision  is  both  wise  and 
timely.  Now,  Colonel  Breton,  I  can  speak  fully  as  to 
conditions  in  Mexico  and  your  mission.  Since  last  meet- 
ing you  a  crisis  has  arisen  there. ' ' 

"A  crisis,  your  majesty!" 

"Yes,  one  which,  I  fear,  may  result  in  the  postpone- 
ment of  Mexican  unity  in  the  support  of  the  Emperor 
Maximilian  for  some  time.  I  will  talk  plainly.  Only 
about  two  hours  ago  I  received  a  message  announcing  the 
fact  that  the  Mexican  emperor  has  signed  an  imperial 
decree  punishing  all  Mexicans  with  death  who  offer  resist- 
ance to  his  government.  This  is  really  meant  to  sup- 
press brigandage ;  but  I  am  exercised  lest  the  Mexican 
and  French  officers  may  use  it  as  a  military  edict  to  per- 
mit them  to  execute  Mexicans  of  high  standing  who  are 
opposed  to  the  rule  of  Maximilian.  I  am  of  the  belief 
that  the  decree,  although,  as  I  have  stated,  issued  by  the 
emperor  to  exterminate  the  brigands,  has  innocently 
placed  a  powerful  weapon  in  the  hands  of  his  officers  and 
his  French  allies  to  revenge  themselves  upon  the  wealthy 
Mexicans  who  have  opposed  the  empire.  They  should 
have  been  conciliated.  Rather  than  that  I  fear  he  has 
antagonized  them,  provided  that  his  officers  carry  out  his 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  281 

decree  in  a  sanguinary  way.  This  I  apprehend  because 
I  do  not  believe  that  he  would  have  signed  the  decree 
save  under  false  representations.  The  clerical  party 
expected  him  to  restore  the  estates  of  the  church  which 
were  confiscated  by  Juarez.  This  he  has  not  done,  and 
their  hatred  runs  deep.  They  will  be  revenged  on  the 
class  who  have  robbed  them.  If  prominent  Mexicans  are 
executed  under  his  orders  the  result  will  be  to  start  the 
spirit  of  rebellion  afresh  and  bring  new  recruits  under 
the  banner  of  Juarez.  There  are  States  in  the  north  of 
Mexico  which  have  never  acknowledged  the  sway  of  the 
emperor,  and  if  the  edict,  results  as  I  believe,  it  will  mean 
that  rebellion  against  Maximilian  will  spread.  It  may 
require  more  troops  to  keep  it  in  check.  I  desire  to  at 
once  communicate  my  fears  to  the  emperor,  urging  him, 
if  not  to  revoke  his  edict,  to  see,  at  least,  that  he  has  not 
placed  too  strong  a  weapon  in  the  hands  of  those  who  may 
use  it  solely  for  revengeful  purposes.  Therefore  I  wish 
you  to  leave  at  once  as  my  special  representative.  I  shall 
prepare  the  necessary  papers,  which  you  are  to  present  in 
person  to  the  Mexican  emperor.  I  shall  then  rely  upon 
your  cool  military  judgment  to  represent  to  me  the  true 
state  of  affairs  in  Mexico.  Let  your  dispatches  be 
couched  in  no  uncertain  language.  If  you  have  fears> 
express  them,  giving  your  reasons  for  such  beliefs.  You 
will  be  the  trusted  representative  of  the  emperor  of  the 
French ;  your  commission  will  be  made  out  to-day ;  your 
position  will  be  clearly  defined  by  me  in  my  communica- 
tion to  the  emperor,  under  the  official  seal;  to-morrow 


282  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

my  secretary  will  arrange  the  code  with  you;  the  day 
following,  at  one  hour  later  than  this,  I  will  give  you 
audience,  at  which  time  I  will  communicate  to  you  my 
further  plans  regarding  the  part  you  are  to  play  in  the 
Mexican  campaign ;  the  evening  of  that  day  you  will  sail 
on  a  steamer  conveying  French  troops  to  Vera  Cruz. " 
Before  Breton  had  an  opportunity  of  replying,  the 
emperor  had  touched  a  bell,  which  quickly  summoned  a 
servant,  to  whom  he  said:  "Accompany  Colonel  Breton 
to  the  room  where  Monsieur  Guisterre  is  now."  Then 
turning  to  Breton  he  added :  "You  can  now  arrange  an 
hour  suitable  to  yourself  with  my  secretary  for  a  confer- 
ence. May  you  have  no  reason  to  regret  the  decision  you 
have  made,"  and  with  an  inclination  of  his  head  the 
emperor  left  the  young  officer.  After  a  short  conference 
with  Guisterre,  the  private  secretary  of  Napoleon,  Breton 
repaired  to  the  residence  of  General  D'Arville.  The  old 
warrior  was  absent,  but  was  expected  to  return  momen- 
tarily. "While  awaiting  his  return  in  his  study  the 
American  noticed  among  the  open  volumes  lying  upon  his 
table  several  military  works  upon  the  different  campaigns 
in  the  North  and  in  Latin  America.  While  he  was  turn- 
ing the  pages  of  a  work  by  an  Italian  writer  upon  the 
early  conquest  of  Mexico,  the  old  general  came  briskly  in. 
"Ah,  my  young  friend,"  he  said,  as  he  noticed  Bre- 
ton's observing  look,  "you  see  I  have  been  reviving  my 
knowledge  of  those  countries  which  were  originally  dis- 
covered by  the  early  Spanish  adventurers.  What  a 
nation  Spain  was  in  those  days,"  he  continued,  "and how 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  283 

she  is  sunk  to-day;  one  after  another  she  has  allowed 
those  rich  colonies  to  slip  from  her,  until  all  she  has  re- 
maining of  those  vast  possessions  conquered  by  Cortez 
and  Pizarro  is  the  Isle  of  Cuba.  And  methinks  the 
hungry  Yankees  will  gobble  that  up  some  morning  for 
breakfast.  It  is  a  tempting  morsel  dangling  right  at  the 
mouth  of  Uncle  Sam. ' ' 

"But,  my  dear  general,  you  cannot  forget  one  thing 
regarding  the  modern  Spaniard!" 

"And  that?" 

"That  the  Spaniards  were  the  only  people  who  did  not 
bow  the  head  and  bend  the  knee  to  your  former  emperor. 
Again,  it  was  the  Spanish  campaign  more  than  any  other 
which  weakened  Napoleon. ' ' 

"True,  the  Spaniard  is  by  nature  proud,  and  he  has  an 
unconquerable  amount  of  patriotism.  I  have  been  im- 
pressed with  one  thing  strongly  while  pursuing  my 
Mexican  researches,  viz.,  the  singular  resemblance  be- 
tween the  Spanish  campaign  under  Napoleon  and  the 
Mexican  campaign  under  the  son  of  Hortense. " 

"Where  is  the  resemblance,  general?" 

"When  the  emperor  placed  his  brother  Joseph  upon 
the  Spanish  throne  the  people  refused  to  recognize  him : 
they  had  nothing  in  common  with  him ;  and  in  order  to 
keep  him  in  place  the  emperor  had  to  surround  him  with 
French  bayonets.  But  the  tremendous  national  feeling 
of  the  Spanish  people  was  fully  aroused  when  the  transfer 
of  the  Spanish  crown  from  Bourbon  to  Bonaparte  was 
fully  understood.  A  regular  guerrilla  warfare  was  inau- 


284  THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

gurated.  Every  defile  became  a  battle  ground:  every 
rock  hid  a  peasant  waiting  for  French  stragglers.  Then 
again,  a  flame  had  been  kindled  which  even  the  emperor 
could  not  quench.  A  fanatical  frenzy  was  inspired  by 
the  priests.  The  Spaniards  wanted  their  own  system 
even  if  it  was  feudal  and  oppressive.  The  French  could 
not  withstand  that  kind  of  warfare  and  it  ended  in  defeat. 
The  Spanish  peasants,  fighting  from  behind  each  rock, 
defeated  Napoleon.  The  nation  would  not  accept  a  ruler 
who  was  not  to  their  liking.  Now,  as  to  the  Mexican 
resemblance.  The  French  emperor  places  a  ruler  upon  a 
throne  of  his  own  making.  The  Mexicans  do  not  wish  an 
emperor.  One  has  been  imposed  on  them  through  the 
declaration  of  the  assembly  of  Notables,  an  assembly  of 
priests  who  acted  upon  the  emperor's  suggestions,  because 
through  the  empire  they  saw  a  way  of  regaining  their 
power,  and  property  as  well,  which  has  been  confiscated. 
They  offered  the  crown  to  Maximilian,  and  he,  upon  the 
assurance  that  the  people  desired  him,  accepted.  He  has 
been  kept  upon  his  throne  by  maintaining  a  double  row 
of  French  bayonets  around  it.  In  the  meanwhile  thou- 
sands of  French  troops  are  scattered  about  the  country. 
They  cannot  make  the  empire  an  established  fact ;  the 
Mexicans  desire  a  man  of  their  own  race  as  ruler,  and 
have  elected  one  to  fill  that  office.  They  have  a  Mexican 
president  in  Juarez,  one  of  their  own  blood  and  to  their 
liking.  The  Mexicans  are  trained  to  mountain  warfare, 
and  they  can  held  out  as  did  the  Spaniards.  They  can 
constantly  harass  the  French  troops.  Their  nationality 


THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  285 

is  aroused  and  they  will  fight  on  for  years.  The  natural 
advantages  of  the  country  are  such  that  the  mountains 
afford  them  ample  recuperative  facilities.  Thus,  you 
see,  Armand,  the  similarity  existing  between  the  Spanish 
campaign  of  Napoleon  and  the  Mexican  campaign  of  the 
present  emperor.  As  an  old  soldier  I  say  the  Spanish 
intrigues  of  Napoleon  weakened  his  throne  more  than 
aught  else.  When  he  himself  felt  compelled  to  leave 
France  in  support  of  his  Spanish  military  and  political 
programme  he  exposed  himself  to  the  onslaught  of  his 
enemies  at  home.  They  did  much  to  undermine  him, 
and  in  the  end  he  did  not  succeed  in  maintaining  Joseph 
on  the  Bourbon  throne.  The  present  emperor  will  not, 
even  with  French  bayonets,  maintain  Maximilian  upon  a 
throne  which  is  objected  to  by  the  national  sentiment  of 
Mexico.  He  is  losing  at  home  in  this  sense.  Moreover, 
the  morale  of  the  French  army  should  be  raised,  France 
has  enemies  to-day  as  in  times  past.  Look  at  Prussia 
and  all  the  Germanic  States.  Again,  there  lingers  in  the 
minds  of  many  right  here  in  Paris  a  desire  for  revenge 
upon  the  emperor  for  his  coup  d'etat  of  December,  1851 — 
men  who  were  thrown  into  prison  in  order  that  he  might 
sit  upon  a  throne  have  not  had  their  hatred  softened  by 
the  intervening  years.  Then,  too,  mark  the  similarity  in 
language  between  Spain  and  Mexico,  and  I  may  add  reli- 
gion, because  Cortez  left  an  indelible  imprint  upon  the 
land  of  Montezuma.  He  advanced  with  sword  in  one 
hand,  while  the  other  supported  the  cross.  We  shall  see 
if  the  ending  is  the  same.  Should  the  Mexican  interfer- 


286  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

ence  of  the  French  emperor  result  in  the  downfall  of  his 
throne,  then  the  resemblance  would  be  complete. ' ' 

"And,  general,  history  repeats  itself,  it  is  said,"  re- 
marked Breton,  after  the  old  officer  had  paused;  "but 
surely  you  do  not  predict  such  an  end,  do  you?" 

D'Arville  stroked  his  gray  mustache  in  silence  before 
he  replied:  "Well,  my  boy,  I  never  was  much  of  a 
prophet,  and  perhaps  the  similarity  of  the  two  campaigns 
has  so  impressed  me  that  I  added  the  possible  sequel  as 
one  which  would  be  needed  to  complete  the  resemblance 
rather  than  as  a  probability.  But  tell  me  of  the  result  of 
your  visit  to  the  emperor. " 

""While  the  information  imparted  to  me  was  of  a 
strictly  private  nature,  I  feel  that  I  am  not,  considering 
our  relations,  divulging  that  which  I  should  not  when  I 
relate  to  you  all  that  transpired  during  my  interview  with 
the  emperor,"  said  Breton.  He  then  related  to  the  gen- 
eral what  the  emperor  had  told  him  during  the  morning. 
"And  now  what  think  you  of  the  emperor's  fears?"  he 
added. 

The  veteran  lighted  a  cigarette,  leaned  back  in  his 
chair,  took  a  few  deep  inhalations  and  looked  steadily  at 
Armand  before  replying.  "I  think,  "he  said  after  he 
had  cleared  his  throat,  "that  the  emperor  has  excellent 
cause  for  alarm.  Maximilian  is  not  a  deep  man,  but  he 
is  honest,  he  is  sincere,  and  naturally  he  believes  that 
those  about  him  possess  the  same  attributes.  The  cun- 
ning Mexican  priests  have  through  certain  representa- 
tions brought  him  to  sign  that  decree.  I'll  wager  that 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  287 

even  now  they  are  cutting  off  the  heads  of  men — a  fact  of 
which  Maximilian  is  in  ignorance,  but  which  is  being 
charged  to  his  account  and  can  only  be  liquidated  by 
blood." 

"Then  you  place  quite  as  serious  an  interpretation 
upon  the  decree  as  the  emperor  himself?" 

"There  can  be  no  other  interpretation  to  that  unfortu- 
nate decree,  the  signing  of  which  only  makes  more  distant 
the  time  when  the  Austrian  archduke  shall  be  emperor  in 
more  than  name.  So  you  are  to  start  at  once  ?  and  more 
French  troops  accompany  you?  What  will  your  young 
bride  say  to  this?  I'll  warrant  her  bright  eyes  will  be 
dimmed  when  you  tell  her  of  this  sudden  leavetaking  of 
yours. ' ' 

"The  hardest  task  of  all!  and,  too,  we  had  just  planned 
for  a  family  reunion  here  in  Paris.  Her  brother,  who,  as 
you  know,  was  my  most  intimate  friend  in  Paris,  is  even 
now  on  his  way  to  meet  us,  accompanied  by  his  bride. 
He  fought  in  the  Federal  Army." 

"Fought  against  each  other — and  you  married  his  sis- 
ter?" 

"We  both  fought  for  the  cause  in  which  we  believed. " 

"Of  course;  and  now  he  is  coming  to  meet  you  again 
in  Paris?" 

"Yes,  and  General  and  Mrs.  Phillips,  his  parents,  are 
soon  to  sail. ' ' 

"Your  sudden  departure  breaks  up  those  nicely-planned 
family  jaunts  over  Europe.  Well,  Armand,  I  have  always 
looked  upon  marriage  as  quite  apart  from  a  soldier's  life. 


288  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

A  soldier  is  at  the  mercy  of  the  ever-shifting  whims  of 
his  commander.  He  has  to  knock  about  in  all  parts  of 
the  globe,  and  as  for  myself  I  have  always  been  heartily 
glad  that  no  woman's  life  was  linked  in  an  inseparable 
way  with  mine. ' ' 

"But,  general,  suppose  you  have  honest  affection  for  a 
woman,  and  that  affection  is  returned?" 

"Outgrow  it  and  never  take  an  affair  of  the  heart  seri- 
ously ;  that  has  been  my  motto.  I  often  think  that  it  is 
better  to  look  at  a  rose,  revel  in  its  fragrance,  than  it  is 
to  pluck  it ;  it  soon  withers ;  the  perfume  is  gone ;  and 
you  wish  to  toss  it  aside ;  but,  if  chained  to  you,  you 
cannot.  I  am  blunt,  Armand,  but  you  know  why  I  have 
never  married. ' ' 

"And,  my  dear  General  D'Arville,  you  who  talk  of  love 
lightly  as  if  it  were  a  mere  sensual  passion,  rather  than 
an  enduring,  ennobling  human  attribute,  cannot  under- 
stand the  real  emotions  which  exist  between  those  who 
love  each  other,  not  alone  for  beauty  of  form,  or  of  face, 
but  for  those  higher  mental  gifts,  the  inner  selves  which 
hold  almost  a  spiritual  communication  with  each  other. 
I  have  seen  the  rough  lines  on  the  face  of  the  wife  of  the 
American  mountaineer  soften  and  grow  positively  beauti- 
ful as  her  features  were  lighted  with  the  divinity  of  love 
when  she  has  bent  over  her  wounded  husband  lying  on 
the  hard  bed  of  the  soldier.  The  tender  lovelight  in  her 
eyes  was  answered  in  the  gleam  of  recognition,  the  re- 
sponse of  affection,  which  flitted  across  the  face  of  the 
wounded  man.  Ah,  general,  surely  you  are  offering  a 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  289 

cruel  jest  when  you  speak  so  lightly  of  affection.  In  the 
life  of  your  noble  mother  you  saw  nothing  but  affeo- 
tion " 

"But,  my  boy,  we  will  not  pursue  the  subject"  The 
old  warrior  was  not  half  as  callous  to  Cupid's  darts  as  he 
was  fond  of  stating,  because,  to  tell  the  truth,  his  heart 
had  proved  vulnerable  to  feminine  charms  on  innumerable 
occasions. 

"I  neglected  to  take  the  sword  of  the  pyramids  home 
with  me.  I  will  do  so  now, ' '  said  Breton. 

"That  goes  with  you  to  Mexico?" 

"I  had  intended,  as  you  know,  to  wear  it,  but  my  wife 
is  afraid  of  the  fateful  history  of  the  blade,  and  I  have 
promised  her  to  leave  it  behind. ' ' 

"Again  the  woman,  Armand, "  said  the  general,  as 
Breton  arose  to  leave. 

"True,  and  would  to  God  that  over  the  life  of  every 
man  woman  might  exert  the  sweet  influence  she  does 
over  mine, ' '  replied  Breton,  as  he  shook  hands  warmly 
with  his  old  friend  and  passed  out. 

Lucille  received  the  announcement  of  Armand 's  sudden 
departure  with  amazement,  which  was  succeeded  by  a 
feeling  of  calm  resignation. 


290  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

KNIGHT-EBRANTKY    IN    MEXICO. 

THE  sun  was  just  sinking  behind  a  mass  of  fleecy  clouds 
when  the  vessel  containing  the  French  troops,  with  whom 
was  Breton,  passed  under  the  guns  of  the  old  casemented 
Spanish  fort  which  commanded  the  harbor  of  Vera  Cruz. 
From  the  deck  of  the  steamer  the  view  obtained  of  the 
city  of  the  true  cross,  founded  centuries  before  by  the 
adventurous  Cortez,  was  most  entrancing.  The  dark-blue 
waters  of  the  Mexican  Gulf  lazily  washed  the  shores. 
The  walls  of  Vera  Cruz  gleamed  ivory  white  in  the  sun- 
light ;  while  the  tall  palms  in  the  gardens  gave  an  emerald- 
flecked  appearance  to  the  idyllic  scene.  High  over  the 
white  walls  of  the  city  rose  the  spire  of  the  stately  cathe- 
dral, surmounted  with  a  golden  cross  which  glowed  like 
living  fire  as  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun  were  reflected 
upon  it.  Back  of  the  town  in  the  darker  shadows  rose 
the  somber  shape  of  Orizaba,  its  star-like  summit  crowned 
with  eternal  snow ;  it  stood  in'shadowy  relief  like  a  giant 
beacon  guiding  the  birds  of  the  sea  in  their  passage.  A 
true  worshiper  of  nature,  Armand  Breton's  soul  drank  in 
the  beauties  of  the  scene  before  him,  and  as  the  bells  of 
the  cathedral  sent  their  anthems  pealing  across  the  water 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  291 

he  bent  low  his  head  in  reverence.  "So  this  is  Mexico?" 
he  said,  turning  to  the  French  officer  at  his  side,  "the 
land  of  the  ancient  Toltecs,  the  golden  land  of  Monte- 
zuma. ' ' 

"And, "  replied  Commander  Celeste,  as  he  shrugged 
his  shoulders  by  way  of  emphasis,  "you  may  also 
add,  Colonel  Breton,  the  land  of  revolutions  as  well. 
Even  before  the  Spanish  conquest  revolutions  were  quite 
the  thing,  and  the  introduction  of  Latin  ideas  and  blood 
did  not  tend  to  reduce  the  inflammable  qualities  of  the 
Aztec  race.  Let  us  pass  over  the  ancient  struggles  and 
come  down  to  those  of  this  century.  Since  1810  Mexico 
has  made  various  attempts  at  self-government  under 
many  forms.  From  the  days  of  Hidalgo,  the  priest  who 
first  declared  independence  from  Spain,  down  to  the 
present,  it  is  one  continuous  history  of  political  intrigue, 
revolts,  and  bloodshed,  as  well  as  usurpation." 

"You  do  not  mean  to  apply  the  latter  to  the  present 
government,  do  you?"  asked  Breton. 

"No,  assuredly,  no;  Maximilian  accepted  the  crown  of 
Mexico  only  upon  the  assurance  that  he  was  the  choice  of 
the  people.  He  came  here  in  that  belief,  after  renounc- 
ing his  right  of  succession  to  the  throne  of  the  Haps- 
burgs.  If  the  natives  of  this  revolution-ridden  land  only 
had  the  good  sense  to  know  an  honest  ruler,  they  would 
immediately  recognize  the  worth  of  the  present  emperor. 
But,  alas,"  and  the  officer  sighed,  "they  do  not  wel- 
come a  true  ruler.  Mexico  is  plastic  and  requires  » 
strong  kneading  hand. " 


292  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

Not  long  after  this  conversation  the  officers  disem- 
barked and  were  fraternizing  with  their  French  and 
Mexican  confreres.  The  officers  at  the  post  of  Vera 
Cruz  were  anxiously  awaiting  not  only  reinforcements 
fi-om  France,  but  imperial  advice  as  well.  The  events 
of  the  past  few  months  had  alarmed  the  followers  of 
Maximilian.  In  the  first  place  the  civil  war  had  ended 
disastrously  to  the  Confederacy  which  crumbled  at  Appo- 
mattox.  Then  came  the  unfortunate  and  ill-timed  decree 
of  Maximilian  proclaiming  the  followers  of  Juarez  as 
bandits,  condemned  when  captured  to  immediate  execu- 
tion. Then  that  dashing  American  cavalry  leader,  Phil 
Sheridan,  with  the  finest  cavalry  corps  ever  organized, 
had  appeared  on  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Grande,  ostensibly 
to  watch  Texas.  Lastly,  came  mutterings  of  the  impend- 
ing declaration  by  the  American  secretary  of  state,  that 
the  maintainence  of  French  troops  in  Mexico  was  in  vio- 
lation of  the  Monroe  doctrine,  and  that  they  must  be 
withdrawn.  The  outlook  for  imperial  success  was  not 
flattering,  but  the  arrival  of  fresh  troops  raised  the  hopes 
of  the  allies. 

As  Breton's  letters  were  to  be  delivered  to  the  emperor 
in  person,  under  whose  instructions  he  was  to  act,  he 
was  anxious  to  press  forward  to  the  capital,  then  held  by 
French  troops  under  Bazaine.  His  tarry  at  Vera  Cruz 
was  short;  for  the  day  following  their  arrival  on  the 
Mexican  coast  Breton,  with  the  French  reinforcements, 
was  well  on  the  way  to  the  ancient  city  where  the  Aus- 
trian archduke,  the  titular  Emperor  of  Mexico,  held 


THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  293 

court.  As  they  advanced  toward  the  interior  Breton  saw 
what  tremendous  advantages  the  country  offered  for 
guerrilla  warfare.  His  conversation  with  General  D'Ar- 
ville  was  brought  vividly  to  mind,  as  he  began  to  realize 
that  the  peculiar  topography  of  the  country  made  it  diffi- 
cult to  operate  with  effectiveness  large  bodies  of  men, 
whose  weakness  would  oftentimes  become  augmented  by 
the  numbers  and  impediments  necessary  to  the  suste- 
nance of  armies  operating  in  an  unknown  country,  not 
rich  as  a  forage  ground.  It  was  at  Orizaba,  a  city  nes- 
tling under  the  shadows  of  the  great  volcanic  mountain 
whose  name  it  bears,  that  news  reached  them  that  their 
command  was  liable  to  attack  from  the  Mexican  forces 
under  General  Porfirio  Diaz,  who  had  been  operating 
with  much  discomfiture  to  the  French  and  allied  forces, 
in  the  region  below  the  great  valley  of  Mexico.  It  was 
after  the  news  had  been  brought  in  by  Indian  scouts  that 
Diaz  was  in  the  vicinity,  that  Breton  thought  it  wise  to 
examine  his  personal  effects.  He  wished  to  carry  upon 
his  person  the  papers  intrusted  to  his  care  by  Napoleon 
for  delivery  to  Maximilian ;  also  he  wished  to  equip  him- 
self for  active  duty  should  that  necessity  arise.  He  had 
needed  only  a  portion  of  his  effects  since  leaving  France. 
Lucille  had  personally  superintended  the  packing  of  his 
trunks,  and  it  was  with  a  heart  overflowing  with  love  for 
his  wife  in  far-away  France  that  he  bent  over  his  task. 
He  was  constantly  reminded  of  Lucille 's  care  and 
thoughtfulness  as  he  came  across  some  dainty  reminder 
of  feminine  sweetness.  In  the  bottom  of  a  long  case  lay 


294  THE  SWORD   OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

two  swords,  one  he  had  purchased  in  Paris,  the  other  was 
carefully  wrapped ;  to  it  was  attached  a  note  addressed  to 
him  inLucille's  hand.  "Ah,  the  dear  girl!"  he  thought, 
"some  farewell  to  cheer  her  lonely  soldier  in  his  far-away 
sojourn."  Hastily  tearing  open  the  missive  he  read: 

"DEAREST  ABMAND:  When  you  so  quickly  granted  my 
request  not  to  take  with  you  the  sword  which  your  father 
wore,  that  sword  with  such  an  awful  history,  I  little  knew 
what  it  cost  you.  Neither  did  I  realize  how  much  you 
had  set  your  heart  upon  taking  it  until  in  your  sleep  you 
referred  to  it,  and  in  such  a  fervid  manner  that  I  knew 
then  how  generously  you  acquiesced  to  my  request,  with- 
out even  remonstrating  about  my  views,  which  you  may 
have  attributed  to  some  ridiculous,  womanly  fear.  It 
was  then  that  I  concluded  that  the  sword  which  you 
prized  so  highly  should  accompany  you,  no  matter  how 
much  I  should  wish  it  far  from  your  reach.  I  knew  that 
if  I  told  you  of  my  change  of  mind  you  would  object  still 
to  taking  it,  believing  that  it  would  cause  me  gloomy  and 
unhappy  thoughts.  Therefore,  Armand,  dearest,  I  re- 
solved upon  placing  it  among  your  effects.  I  did  this 
knowing  that  you  would  be  well  at  sea  or  in  Mexico 
before  you  learned  of  its  nearness  to  you.  May  it  shield 
you  from  all  harm !  and  may  it  be  instrumental  in  win- 
ning for  you  that  which  you  seek !  is  the  prayer  of  your 
loving  LUCILLE.  ' ' 

Breton  passionately  pressed  the  missive  to  his  lips, 
while  he  murmured:  "My  brave,  generous,  true-hearted 
Lucille !  God  grant  that  your  prayers  may  be  answered. ' ' 
Tenderly  unwrapping  the  sword  he  swung  it  in  triumph. 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  295 

No  matter  what  proportion  of  the  attachment  might  be 
sentimental,  yet  Breton  had  a  love  for  the  old  blade 
which  had  been  wielded  on  many  a  hard-fought  field. 
"This  blade  shall  be  with  me  until  this  Mexican  cam- 
paign is  over,"  he  said  half-exultingly,  as  he  bent  it 
nearly  double,  showing  the  elasticity  of  the  steel  used  by 
the  old  swordmakers  in  the  days  of  the  first  sultan. 

Beyond  exchanging  a  few  shots  with  the  Mexican 
forces  which  were  in  ambush  on  the  mountain  sides,  the 
journey  to  the  city  of  Mexico  was  made  with  little  inter- 
ruption. Breton  was  afforded  an  excellent  opportunity 
to  study  the  natural  advantages  of  the  country.  After 
they  had  passed  on  from  the  low  lands  up  the  precipi- 
tous sides  of  the  mountains  to  the  great  valley  of  Mexico, 
the  American  began  to  realize  and  appreciate  the  phe- 
nomenal richness  of  the  barbaric  empire  over  which 
Cortez  planted  the  banner  of  Castile.  Opulent  beyond 
description  in  natural  resources,  under  skies  as  blue  as 
sunny  Italy,  the  land  of  the  ancient  Aztecs  had  been  for 
centuries  under  Spanish  misrule,  until  the  natives  at  last 
had  been  able  to  throw  off  the  thievish,  throttling  clutch 
of  Spain.  Mexico  had  thrown  off  her  yoke,  but  still  upon 
her  fair  breast  were  the  scars  of  bondage.  The  brutal 
domination  of  Castile  had  left  an  indelible  imprint  upon 
the  country  so  bountifully  gifted  by  nature.  When  they 
reached  the  capital  they  found  it  securely  fortified. 
Bazaine  was  there  with  a  large  force  of  French  troops. 
There  also  were  quartered  Austrian  and  Belgian  troops ; 
the  latter  due  to  family  influence,  as  the  wife  of  Maxi- 


296  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

milian  was  sister  to  the  king  of  the  Belgians.  Breton 
was  impressed  with  the  military  appearance  of  the  city. 
He  was  anxious  to  meet  the  emperor,  and  reported 
shortly  after  his  arrival  to  the  palace.  He  had  heard 
while  at  school  in  Paris  of  "Ferdinand  Max,"  as  the 
emperor  was  commonly  called  in  the  Austrian  navy.  He 
found  in  Maximilian  a  most  agreeable  personality.  He 
was  entirely  free  from  that  reserve  which  is  one  of  the 
family  characteristics  of  the  Hapsburgs.  A  man  of  singu- 
lar amiability,  Maximilian  at  once  won  the  esteem  of  the 
young  officer  who  had  come  to  aid  him  in  his  fight  for 
the  fatal  crown  of  Mexico.  Maximilian,  through  papers 
handed  him  by  Captain  Celeste,  had  already  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  fact  of  Breton's  presence.  He  greeted 
the  American  warmly,  and  after  he  had  chatted  with  him 
in  an  informal  way  for  a  few  moment*,  he  opened  the 
package  of  letters  handed  him  by  Breton.  Hastily  glanc- 
ing over  the  addresses,  he  laid  on  the  table  with  their 
seals  unbroken  the  packages  marked  state  correspond- 
ence, while  he  scanned  the  personal  letter  from  Napo- 
leon. 

After  reading  he  remarked : 

"Napoleon  speaks  of  your  worth  and  military  ability 
in  a  way  most  complimentary  to  you,  and  it  gives  me 
exceeding  pleasure  to  welcome  you  to  Mexico,  Colonel 
Breton." 

Armand  saw  by  the  manner  of  the  emperor  in  address- 
ing him  that  Napoleon  had  not  advised  Maximilian  of 
his  ancestry.  Of  this  he  was  not  sorry ;  he  was  confident 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  297 

that  Napoleon  would  bring  it  all  about  at  the  proper 
time. 

Then  excusing  himself,  ths  emperor  opened  the  official 
correspondence.  Breton  saw  his  fair  open  face  darken 
as  he  read.  It  was  some  time  before  he  had  concluded 
his  perusal  of  the  contents  of  the  French  emperor's  let- 
ters. After  he  had  finished,  he  gave  a  deep  sigh,  and 
upon  his  face  there  settled  a  troubled  look,  a  look  of  de- 
jection almost.  The  joyous  light  had  fled  from  his  eyes, 
and  when  he  spoke  Breton  noted  that  his  voice  lacked 
the  cheeriness  of  a  short  time  before. 

"Colonel  Breton,"  he  said,  "I  suppose  you  are  fully 
aware  of  the  nature  of  the  contents  of  the  state  documents 
which  have  been  handed  me?" 

"I  have  the  confidence  of  the  French  emperor,  your 
majesty,  and  I  have  personally  gone  over  with  him  in 
conversation  the  nature  of  the  correspondence  which  I 
was  instructed  to  deliver  to  you." 

"As  I  supposed  from  the  way  in  which  Napoleon 
referred  to  you;  therefore  we  can  be  frank  with  each 
other.  "While  I  am  convinced  that  there  may  be  grounds 
for  the  emperor's  uneasiness,  yet  I  think  the  situation 
does  not  warrant  entertaining  such  pessimistic  views  as 
he  indicates.  It  is  true  that  there  are  many  complica- 
tions here  in  this  land,  complications  undreamed  of  by 
me  when  I  accepted  the  crown.  However,  the  Mexicans 
have  always  been  an  inflammable  people,  and  I  am  inclined 
to  think  that  as  soon  as  they  really  comprehend  that 
my  rule  will  be  solely  for  the  good  of  Mexico,  brigandage 


298  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

will  cease;  that  ere  long,  aided  by  the  restraining  influ- 
ence of  the  clergy,  there  will  be  no  rebellious  subjects  in 
the  empire.  It  will  be  my  life  work  to  give  Mexico  a 
wise  and  elevating  reign.  To  an  extent  the  people  have 
been  brutalized  by  their  Spanish  conquerors,  and  reduced 
to  slavery  by  the  false  leaders  of  their  own  race.  The 
land  has  been  reduced  to  chaos  and  despair.  By  the  proc- 
lamation of  Juarez,  church  property  became  national 
property  and  was  sold  to  parties  occupying  its  lands. 
The  clergy  were  deprived  of  all  political  rights.  Depriv- 
ing the  church  of  its  property  was  robbery,  but  it  had 
governmental  sanction,  and  was  therefore  legal.  The 
clergy  expect  me  to  reinstate  them  in  possession  of  their 
property.  That  I  cannot  do.  I  wish  first  to  crush  out 
all  opposition  to  my  rule.  Then  when  the  empire  is 
united,  I  shall  commence  reforms.  I  signed  that  decree 
which  the  French  emperor  considers  may  operate  disad- 
vantageously  to  my  interests,  in  the  belief  that  it  would 
aid  in  putting  down  the  insurrectionists.  Why  should 
they  not  be  executed?  They  carry  on  a  bandit  war. 
They  are  not  soldiers;  they  are  bandits,  and  as  such 
should  be  punished;"  and  Maximilian's  face  flushed  with 
emotion. 

"And,  your  majesty,  you  have  no  doubt  as  to  the 
loyalty  of  the  men  who  stand  close  to  you  ?  You  do  not 
think  it  possible  that  under  the  cover  of  your  decree  they 
might  be  carrying  out  a  series  of  executions  which  in 
many  instances  might  be  merely  a  personal  revenge 
rather  than  a  just  execution?" 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  299 

"No,  certainly  not;  those  who  are  shot  deserve  such  a 
death." 

"And  do  you  think  that  these  executions  by  imperial 
edict  are  having  an  effect  to  subdue  the  feeling  antago- 
nistic to  your  reign?" 

Maximilian  looked  undecided,  but  finally  replied: 
"Regarding  this,  reports  differ.  Personally,  I  consider 
that  firmness  in  dealing  with  these  men,  as  all  bandits 
should  be  dealt  with,  will  quickly  teach  them  that  the 
empire  is  determined  not  to  countenance  rebellion  in  any 
form.  When  there  shall  be  peace  in  this  fair  land  and 
law  is  supreme,  schools  of  science  and  agriculture  must 
be  established,  roads  must  be  built,  and  civilization  ex- 
tended. The  future  of  this  magnificent  empire  is  indeed 
brilliant ;  but  before  we  can  progress  rapidly  on  the  road 
to  a  higher  civilization  we  must  have  a  united  people. 
Therefore,  Colonel  Breton,  the  dominating  question  is  to 
break  the  backbone  of  this  unfortunate  rebellion.  You 
came  for  active  service ;  you  shall  see  it ;  you  have  been 
in  the  cavalry  service  of  the  Confederate  army;  you 
would  prefer  to  be  attached  to  the  same  branch  of  the 
service,  no  doub  t. ' ' 

"I  should  prefer  to  be  attached  to  the  cavalry,  your 
majesty." 

"Enough,  it  shall  be  so.  I  will  at  once  see  General 
Bazaine  relative  to  an  assignment. ' ' 

After  further  conversation  with  the  emperor,  to  whom 
Breton  had  already  taken  a  great  liking,  he  withdrew. 
The  day  following  his  visit  to  the  Austrian  archduke,  he 


COO  THE  SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

learned  that  temporarily  he  would  serve  on  the  staff  of 
the  commander  of  the  French  forces  in  Mexico.  It  was 
really  the  post  which  he  most  desired.  It  would  afford 
him  superior  advantages  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
true  conditions  in  Mexico,  as  well  as  to  acquaint  himself 
with  the  military  resources  of  the  country. 

Weeks  passed  rapidly  by.  Breton's  official  duties 
carried  him  from  San  Luis  Potosi  in  the  north,  where 
there  were  large  bodies  of  troops  ready  to  repel  American 
invasion,  to  Vera  Cruz  in  the  south.  The  American  was 
becoming  well  acquainted  with  the  topography  of  the 
country,  and  was  anxious  for  more  arduous  military 
duties.  The  system  of  guerrilla  warfare  carried  on  by 
Juarez's  followers  was  particularly  irritating  to  him,  and 
he  had  arrived  at  the  point  where  he  believed  that  Maxi- 
milian's decree  promising  all  who  were  taken  with  death 
was  a  just  one.  The  mutterings  from  the  American  gov- 
ernment at  Washington  became  more  and  more  distinct. 
The  United  States  was  about  to  bring  pressure  to  bear 
upon  France  to  withdraw  her  troops  from  Mexican  soil, 
claiming  that  their  maintenance  there  was  a  violation  of 
the  Monroe  doctrine.  Breton  saw  the  cloud  coming,  and 
he  had  been  punctilious  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  to 
the  French  emperor.  He  had  given  him  frequent  ex- 
planations of  the  situation  in  Mexico.  He  had  dwelt 
upon  the  fact  that  the  army  of  Juarez  was  being  con- 
stantly recruited  by  men  who  had  served  in  the  ranks  of 
the  Union  as  well  as  from  the  Confederate  armies. 
Thus,  he  wrote,  his  troops  were  being  augmented  by  men 


301 

who  were  familiar  with  the  art  and  science  of  war.  It 
was  in  this  way  he  sought  to  inform  Napoleon  concerning 
Mexican  affairs.  Knowing  that  from  his  diplomatic 
sources  the  emperor  was  fully  cognizant  of  the  peculiar 
trend  affairs  were  taking  at  Washington  he  left  this  un- 
touched. Sheridan,  the  dashing  Union  cavalry  leader 
who  swept  Early  from  the  valley  of  Virginia,  still  lingered 
on  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Grande.  He  was  fretting  under 
the  imposed  strain,  and  only  awaited  instructions  from 
Washington  to  lead  his  veterans  against  the  French. 
Popular  feeling  in  the  United  States  was  with  Juarez, 
and  the  Yankees  could  not  well  keep  out  of  Mexican 
affairs  much  longer.  Breton  knew  it,  and  he  was  in 
doubt  as  to  whether  such  action  on  their  part  would  pro- 
voke war  with  France  or  not.  He  had  during  his  stay  in 
Mexico  been  brought  into  constant  contact  with  Maxi- 
milian, and  Breton  had  become  devotedly  attached  to  the 
man  who  was  doing  all  in  his  power  to  pacify  Mexico. 
After  Seward,  the  American  secretary  of  state,  had 
sent  his  formal  protest  to  Napoleon  and  requested  that 
the  French  troops  be  withdrawn,  Breton  fully  appreciated 
the  noble  qualities  of  the  man  upon  whose  brow  rested 
the  ill-fated  crown  of  Mexico.  Maximilian  had  endeav- 
ored not  only  to  plan  for  Mexico's  good,  but  in  habits 
and  custom  he  had  become  a  Mexican.  He  gave  large 
sums  of  money  in  charity  and  for  educational  purposes. 
Yet  his  empire  existed  only  in  name.  His  reign  was  not 
recognized  outside  the  line  of  French  bayonets  which 
surrounded  his  crumbling  throne.  His  had  been  an  un- 


302  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

happy  reign.  Tlie  pope  pressed  him  for  a  return  of 
church  property,  and  the  priests  for  their  ancient  priv- 
ileges, which  virtually  placed  them  above  the  law.  Maxi- 
milian endeavored  to  enforce  necessary  reforms  by 
alliances  with  the  liberal  party,  seeking  thus  to  conciliate 
that  party  at  the  expense  of  the  priests.  He  failed  at 
both,  and  discontent  was  growing.  It  became  more  and 
more  manifest,  as  the  national  debt  increased,  caused  by 
the  maintenance  of  so  large  an  army,  which  the  emperor 
could  ill  afford  to  reduce  in  numbers.  He  had  nearly 
exhausted  his  private  fortune,  and  his  wife,  the  Empress 
Caiiotta,  daughter  of  the  king  of  the  Belgians,  was 
absent  in  Europe  endeavoring  to  interest  Austria  and 
Belgium  in  Maximilian's  behalf.  Again,  there  was  the 
great  republic  on  the  north  of  the  Bio  Grande  to  settle 
with.  After  Seward  had  pressed  upon  Napoleon  the 
necessity  of  the  evacuation  of  Mexico,  Austria  and  Bel- 
gium were  both  afraid  to  aid  either  France  or  Maxi- 
milian. When  this  became  apparent  the  sun  of  the 
Austrian  archduke  seemed  on  the  decline ;  the  dream  of 
a  great  Mexican  empire  grew  less  and  less  distinct.  The 
future  seemed  full  of  apprehension  and  doubt.  One  day 
a  courier  came  up  in  hot  haste  from  Vera  Cruz  bearing 
special  dispatches  from  the  emperor  of  the  French.  One 
was  to  Bazaine,  telling  him  to  withdraw  his  forces  grad- 
ually southward,  prepared  to  leave  Mexico ;  one  to  Maxi- 
milian, inviting  him  to  retire  under  the  protection  of 
French  troops;  one  to  Breton,  asking  that  he  remain 
with  the  Emperor  of  Mexico,  and  to  embark  with  him 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  305 

from  Mexican  soil.  The  message  to  Bazaine  was  worded 
in  such  a  way  that  the  general  interpreted  it  as  meaning 
that  his  withdrawal  should  be  gradual ;  in  other  words, 
if  France  failed  to  form  a  combination  with  Austria  and 
Belgium  to  hold  Mexico,  then  his  troops  should  be  with- 
drawn. In  the  meantime  the  feint  would  satisfy  the 
American  government  that  the  intent  was  to  evacuate 
Mexico.  The  followers  of  Juarez  were  prompt  to  take 
advantage  of  the  turn  in  affairs,  and  they  were  constantly 
harassing  the  retreating  troops  of  Bazaine. 

It  was  at  this  juncture  in  the  affairs  of  Maximilian  that 
Breton  was  afforded  opportunities  to  exercise  his  military 
skill.  He  had  on  several  occasions  acquitted  himself 
with  much  credit,  and  his  name  had  been  prominently 
mentioned  in  the  official  dispatches  to  France. 

Since  Lafe  had  learned  that  his  old  master  was  in  the 
campaign  in  Mexico  he  had  begged  to  join  him.  Armand 
was  much  attached  to  Lafe,  and  he  gladly  gave  him  per- 
mission to  leave  the  Virginia  plantation.  The  former 
slave  was  delighted  to  again  be  with  the  man  by  whose 
side  he  had  ridden  on  so  many  memorable  occasions. 
Lafe  had  fighting  blood  in  his  veins ;  besides,  he  wor- 
shiped Armand.  It  was  after  matters  had  grown  more 
perilous  for  the  future  of  Maximilian  that  Lafe  reached 
the  country.  Breton  told  him  that  with  him  by  his  side 
he  felt  strong  enough  to  cope  with  any  twenty  of  Juarez's 
followers. 

But  Juarez's  men  were  stubborn  fighters.  They  hung 
on  the  flank  of  the  French,  besieged  cities,  and  through 


304  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

out  the  land  of  sunshine  and  flowers  the  roar  of  the  can- 
non never  ceased.  The  whole  of  the  vast  country  was  in 
turmoil  and  war.  Foreign  soldiers  were  quartered  in 
her  convents  while  family  differences  had  created  bitter 
feelings  which  could  only  be  wiped  out  in  blood.  Across 
the  fertile  plains  of  Mexico,  through  her  beautiful  val- 
leys, the  tide  of  battle  surged  to  and  fro  as  the  native 
race,  led  by  the  unrelenting  and  iron-handed  Diaz,  en- 
gaged in  their  terrific  struggle  to  throw  off  forever  from 
their  country  the  last  vestige  of  European  domination. 
It  was  in  the  mountains  back  of  San  Felipe  that  Bazaine 
had  determined  to  teach  the  native  forces  a  lesson  that 
would  be  long  remembered  by  them.  The  Mexicans 
under  Diaz  held  a  mountain  stronghold  from  which 
extensive  operations  were  carried  on  throughout  the  dis- 
trict. They  held  a  fortified  hill,  terraced  almost — some- 
times gentle,  sometimes  sharp,  rocky  soil.  In  the  center 
of  the  hill  stood  an  old  half -ruined  convent,  and  it  was  at 
this  point  that  the  Mexican  forces  were  strongly  in- 
trenched. When  the  French  general  decided  upon 
carrying  the  stronghold  he  considered  concealment  use- 
less, and  divided  his  command  to  attack  Diaz  at  several 
points.  Bazaine  found  soon  when  his  men  were  forming 
that  he  had  overlooked  an  important  factor.  Back  of  the 
old  convent  stood  a  higher  range  of  hills,  and  it  was 
there,  concealed  by  the  wooded  summit,  that  Diaz  had  a 
battery.  Again  from  two  other  points  on  the  higher 
range  the  Mexicans  began  to  play  an  enfilading  fire  upon 
the  French.  As  the  artillery  blazed  from  different  points 


THE   SWORD   OF   THE   PYRAMIDS.  305 

Bazaine  saw  that  its  importance  could  not  be  overlooked ; 
he  saw,  too,  its  terrible  effectiveness.  He  remarked  to 
Breton,  who  rode  at  his  side : 

"The  Mexicans  are  learning  gunnery;  those  guns  are 
handled  admirably,  and  never  before  this  have  I  seen  the 
natives  show  the  slightest  knowledge  of  artillery. " 

"I  think,  general,"  added  Breton,  "that  those  guns 
are  not  handled  by  Mexicans.  I  think  if  you  could  look 
closer  you  would  find  in  command  of  those  guns  engi- 
neers and  artillerymen  who  saw  service  in  the  Confed- 
eracy. If  I  mistake  not  it  is  Americans  whom  we  will 
have  to  fight  to  carry  those  heights." 

"Americans  or  Mexicans,  the  heights  will  be  carried, 
and  they  will  know  full  well  the  fighting  qualities  of  the 
French."  The  Gallic  blood  of  Bazaine  was  fully  aroused, 
and  he  had  determined,  no  matter  at  what  cost,  to  plant 
the  banner  of  Maximilian  upon  the  heights  of  San 
Felipe,  disregarding  the  fire  of  the  Mexican  artillery 
which  played  upon  them  from  the  wooded  heights. 

He  said,  turning  to  Breton:  "We  will  drive  them  out 
of  the  old  convent  fort  and  keep  pushing  them  upward 
until  we  have  silenced  the  batteries  beyond.  We  have, 
not  given  up  Mexico,  as  they  will  learn." 

The  French  regiments  were  quickly  thrown  forward  up 
the  slope.  They  were  met  by  the  Mexicans,  who  poured 
on  them  such  a  decimating  fire  that  the  slopes  were  piled 
with  their  bodies.  All  the  pent-up  fury  of  the  Indian 
race  seemed  to  burst  forth  in  the  actions  of  the  frenzied 
Mexicans,  who  fought  with  the  ferocity  of  wild  beasts. 


306  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

Once  the  front  ranks  of  Bazaine  gained  the  slope  where 
the  old  convent  stood,  but  they  were  met  by  a  bayonet 
charge  and  driven  back  over  the  slippery  incline.  All  the 
while  the  artillery  on  the  heights  continued  to  play  upon 
the  attacking  party  with  terrible  effect.  The  Mexican 
general  skillfully  disposed  his  men,  and  their  location 
made  it  impossible  to  use  cavalry ;  in  fact  the  only  way 
was  for  Bazaine  to  march  squarely  up  the  terraced  moun- 
tain side  if  he  carried  out  his  original  intention  of  reduc- 
ing the  Mexican  stronghold. 

The  French  had  once  been  driven  back  with  much  loss, 
and  to  add  to  their  discomfiture  the  batteries  on  the 
heights  rained  deadly  missiles  upon  them. 

"Curse  those  batteries,  they  must  be  silenced," 
growled  the  French  commander.  "Colonel  Breton,"  he 
said,  "I  wish  you  to  take  the  command  of  the  — th 
Regiment;  its  officers  are  all  dead  or  disabled.  With 
the  men  who  are  left  I  want  you  to  climb  there, ' '  and 
Bazaine  raised  his  sword  in  the  direction  of  the  point  of 
vantage  occupied  by  Diaz's  batteries.  "I  shall  know 
with  what  success  you  meet. ' ' 

Breton  saluted  his  commander,  wheeled,  in  a  few  min- 
utes had  re-formed  the  regimen  t  and  was  leading  them 
toward  the  summit.  He  knew  that  if  he  gained  the  sum- 
mit the  key  of  situation  would  be  in  his  hands,  and  if  he 
lost — he  compressed  his  lips  tightly  as  he  thought  that 
one  lonely  woman  would  wait  long  for  the  return  of  that 
husband  whose  bones  would  be  bleaching  under  the  blaz- 
ing sun  of  Mexico.  For  awhile  the  ascent  was  compara- 


THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  307 

tively  easy.  He  had  obliqued  so  that  his  men  were 
partially  shielded  from  the  storm  of  leaden  hail  directed 
at  them  from  the  convent.  But  the  Mexican  commander 
had  sent  a  body  of  troops  to  intercept  them.  Breton 
knew  he  had  a  perilous  task  before  him.  Even  to  a  man 
who  had  stormed  the  heights  of  Gettysburg,  the  route 
seemed  well-nigh  impassable.  It  was  a  slippery  stairway 
at  best,  and  on  every  ledge  the  foe  was  prepared  to  repel 
his  advance.  The  Mexicans,  strong  in  position,  believed 
that  their  foe  was  coming  to  certain  death.  Soon  the 
ascent  became  frightful ;  the  single  combats,  fought  with 
a  ferocity  never  seen  except  with  men  born  in  a  Southern 
clime,  prevented  the  storming  party's  advance.  The 
French  would  gain  a  ledge,  charge  forward  with  bare 
bayonets  upon  the  Mexicans,  then  they  would  climb  over 
the  heaped-up  corpses  of  the  Mexicans  only  to  meet  fresh 
troops  further  up.  Breton's  men  were  fearfully  depleted ; 
their  columns  had  been  shot  through  and  decimated ;  still 
they  were  making  headway.  They  were  two-thirds  up 
the  mountain  side  when  a  larger  body  of  Mexicans  ap- 
peared before  them.  "When  Breton  saw  the  force  block- 
ing his  way  it  seemed  impossible  for  him  to  advance 
another  step.  It  was  also  impossible  for  him  to  retreat. 
Knowing  the  great  peril  of  momentarily  halting,  he 
pressed  forward  with  a  wild  yell  of  encouragement  to  his 
men  who  followed  him.  His  act  spurred  his  men  on ;  the 
confusion  in  their  ranks  was  but  momentary,  and  his 
thinning  columns  pressed  forward,  a  compact  and  still 
formidable  body  of  men.  Such  courage  from  a  foe  whom 


SOS  THE  SWORD  OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

they  considered  already  conquered  caused  a  partial  panic 
in  the  ranks  before  them,  as  the  French  troops  with  a 
wild  cheer  drove  their  bayonets  full  upon  their  ranks. 
That  terrific  charge  proved  disastrous  to  the  Mexicans; 
their  intrepid  assailants  drove  straight  through  them  and 
scattered  them  as  chaff  is  blown  by  the  wind.  Before 
they  could  re-form  Breton  was  through  the  lines  and  well 
up  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  where  the  battery  was 
located  which  was  their  objective  point.  The  Mexicans 
had  bravely  disputed  his  passage,  but  Breton  had  cut 
through  them  like  a  dagger.  His  skill,  valor,  and  impetu- 
osity had  carried  him  straight  through,  and  before  him 
lay  the  battery.  He  drew  his  sword  for  the  final  charge ; 
it  was  the  famous  old  blade  which  the  sultan  wore.  One 
glance  at  the  huge  opal  in  the  hilt — it  glowed  blood-red, 
as  his  father  said  it  had  at  Moscow.  Although  his  brain 
was  overheated  and  overwrought,  Breton  saw  in  one  brief 
look  that  the  opal  seemed  to  emit  flashes  of  fire.  It  in- 
spired him.  Victory  was  perched  upon  his  banner ;  that 
blade  had  always  led  to  victory  and  it  should  now.  His 
fatigue  vanished,  and  it  was  with  an  exultant  shout  that 
he  cried : 

"One  more  charge,  men!"  As  his  panting  and  ex- 
hausted command  followed  him  up  the  last  steps  of  the 
mountain,  he  said :  "The  day  is  ours. "  The  summit  was 
gained,  and  like  madmen  the  remnant  of  Breton's  regi- 
ment hurled  themselves  upon  the  artillerymen  on  the 
summit.  Their  charge  was  the  charge  of  victory.  The 
French  troops  were  bayoneting  the  gunmen  at  their  post. 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  309 

Torn,  blackened  and  bleeding,  Armand  Breton  felt  that  a 
victory  had  been  won  only  when  he  turned  the  guns  of 
his  late  adversaries  upon  the  fortifications  of  Diaz  at  the 
old  convent.  Shot  after  shot  did  he  rain  upon  the  Mexi- 
cans, who,  with  the  unexpected  turn  that  affairs  had 
taken,  drew  off  their  forces  down  the  valley,  followed  by 
the  cavalry  of  Bazaine.  Passing  over  the  bodies  of  the 
men  who  were  slain  at  their  posts,  Breton  heard  a  voice 
call  to  him  faintly  in  English.  Astonished,  he  looked 
about  him,  and  saw  among  the  bodies  of  the  slain  the 
arm  of  a  man  raised  to  attract  his  attention.  He  bent 
over  the  wounded  soldier,  whose  blackened  and  blood- 
stained face  was  unrecognizable.  His  hair  was  matted 
and  a  cruel  bayonet  thrust  had  laid  open  half  his  face, 
while  another  ghastly  rent  in  his  blouse  told  of  a  more 
serious,  if  not  a  fatal  wound.  Lifting  the  man  to  a  sit- 
ting posture,  Breton  gazed  at  him  steadily,  and  then 
gasped,  "My  God,  Peyton!  you  here  and  wounded — 
fatally  perhaps?" 

Faintly  the  blood-stained  hero  replied : 

"It's  worth  something  to  know  that  our  position  was 
carried  by  an  American. "  Then  the  poor  fellow's  head 
fell  limp  on  Armand's  arm — he  had  fainted. 

There  before  him,  prostrate  and  bleeding,  lay  Captain 
Peyton,  one  of  his  closest  comrades  in  the  Confederate 
army — Captain  Peyton,  one  of  the  best  artillery  officers 
in  the  army  of  Lee.  After  the  Confederate  government 
had  gone  down  at  Appomattox,  Peyton,  like  scores  of 
other  adventurous  men,  sought  his  fortune  in  the  country 


310  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

south  of  the  Bio  Grande.     His  skill  had  brought  him 
into  prominence  among  Juarez's  followers. 

Breton  had  the  wounded  officer  removed  to  a  place 
where  his  wounds  could  be  examined  and  dressed. 
Shortly  after  he  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  his  old  com 
panion  in  arms  in  the  Virginia  campaign  show  signs 
of  returning  life.  The  American  officer  who  had  com- 
manded the  Mexican  battery  was  seriously  wounded,  and 
Breton  knew  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  compel  him 
not  to  overexert  or  excite  himself  until  he  could  be 
placed  under  the  care  of  a  skilled  surgeon.  He  talked  to 
Peyton  in  a  calming  way,  and  told  him  that  he  would 
have  him  removed  to  headquarters.  Tenderly  the 
wounded  soldier  was  carried  down  the  mountain  side  to 
the  headquarters  of  the  French  army  in  the  field.  When 
Breton  saw  Bazaine  that  night  the  latter  complimented 
him  in  the  warmest  terms  upon  his  heroic  capture  of  the 
mountain  battery. 

"You  see,  general,  I  never  knew  until  we  had  turned 
the  guns  of  the  battery  upon  the  Mexicans  that  the  man 
who  commanded  there  was  one  of  my  brother  officers  in 
the  Confederacy,  and  one  of  the  best  artillery  engineers 
in  the  army  of  Lee. ' ' 

"Then  your  prediction  of  the  morning  came  true.  You 
said  before  we  tried  to  carry  the  lower  points  that  the 
guns  were  directed  by  Confederate  officers, ' '  remarked 
Bazaine. 

Breton  soon  after  found  the  house  in  San  Felipe  where 
his  wounded  friend  lay,  and  was  much  gratified  to  learn 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  311 

that  he  was  resting  peacefully.  Worn  out  with  his  tre- 
mendous exertions  of  the  day,  Armand  quickly  sought 
repose.  As  he  unslung  his  sword  he  turned  it  over  and 
examined  it  with  a  feeling  akin  to  tenderness.  The  old 
blade  had  well  maintained  its  past  prestige,  and  as  Bre- 
ton looked  at  the  opal  in  the  hilt  it  was  of  a  milky  white- 
ness. Strange  old  blade !  he  could  have  sworn  that  only 
a  few  hours  before  it  was  of  a  color  that  would  have  sur- 
passed a  ruby  in  redness.  "Ah,"  thought  the  soldier, 
"I  shall  now  be  able  to  send  a  letter  to  Lucille  on  the 
morrow;  I  shall  tell  her  how  the  old  sword  led  me  on  to 
victory.  The  dear  girl!  how  happy  she  will  be  when  all 
this  ends.  And  poor  Peyton,  down  here  fighting  for 
Juarez,  and  I  for  the  emperor!"  and  the  young  officer 
soon  found  forgetfulness  in  slumber. 

The  victory  won  by  the  French  was  productive  of  bar- 
ren results  as  far  as  the  advance  of  the  hopes  of  Maxi- 
milian was  concerned.  The  constantly  augmenting  army 
of  Juarez  made  it  difficult  for  Bazine  to  hold  with  advan- 
tage any  of  the  northern  points  in  Mexico.  Affairs  had 
reached  a  crisis.  The  French  had  retreated  to  the  capi- 
tal, where  the  disheartened  Bazaine  received  the  message 
from  his  imperial  master  to  withdraw  his  forces  without 
further  delay  to  Vera  Cruz,  where  he  could  embark  for 
France.  Napoleon  also  sent  an  appeal  to  Maximilian  to 
return  under  the  protection  of  French  troops.  Bazaine 
and  Breton  met  Maximilian  at  his  palace,  where  they  held 
a  long  conference.  The  French  commander  told  the 
emperor  plainly  that  he  should  immediately  carry  out  the 


312  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

instructions  sent  him.  The  gallant  soldier  entreated  the 
Austrian  to  accompany  him.  He  endeavored  to  show  him 
the  impossibility  of  maintaining  the  empire  after  his 
troops  had  embarked.  Maximilian  listened  to  the  per- 
suasive words  of  Bazaine,  which  were  also  warmly 
indorsed  by  Breton.  It  was  plain  that  he  was  much 
depressed  over  the  unfortunate  turn  his  affairs  had  taken. 
The  troubled  expression  deepened  upon  his  fair  face.  He 
sat  in  silence  after  Bazaine  had  concluded.  Both  men 
were  touched  deeply  by  his  dejected  look.  Was  he 
thinking  of  those  happy  days  in  the  Austrian  navy,  before 
he  yielded  to  evil  counsel  and  accepted  the  fatal  crown  of 
Mexico?  What  thoughts  were  in  his  mind  it  was  impos- 
sible to  tell ;  but  when  he  raised  his  head  there  was  a  set 
look  upon  his  face ;  his  mind  was  made  up,  and  both  men 
knew  that  his  course  was  decided  upon.  When  he  spoke 
his  voice  was  low  but  firm,  and  his  listeners  were  thrilled 
with  its  pathetic  sweetness. 

"General  Bazaine,"  he  said,  "I  have  listened  with 
intense  interest  to  all  that  you  have  said,  and  at  times  I  was 
on  the  point  of  interrupting  you  by  saying  it  was  useless 
to  proceed  further  with  your  persuasive  words ;  that  I 
would  retire  with  you;  that  our  cause  here  is  indeed 
hopeless ;  that  my  presence  would  prove  irritating  rather 
than  conciliating  to  the  factions  which  exist  here.  All 
that  weakness  now  is  past;  I  can  see  my  duty  clearly.  I 
came  here  a  chosen  ruler.  There  were  discordant  fac- 
tions before  I  came  and  they  still  exist,  but  with  God's 
help  I  shall  unite  them.  To  desert  the  men  who  have 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  313 

nobly  supported  me  would  be  worse  than  unmanly;  it 
would  be  cowardly.  I,  the  emperor,  flee  and  leave  my 
adherents  to  the  mercy  of  the  lawless  element  who  would 
assuredly  gain  political  ascendency  shortly  after  my  de- 
parture and  then  wreak  their  vengeance  upon  my  loyal 
supporters  and  friends  ?  No,  that  can  never  be.  It  shall 
never  be  said  that  a  Hapsburg  deserted  his  friends  or  was 
unfaithful  to  a  cause  once  supported.  I  have  lived 
among  these  people ;  I  love  them ;  they  will  yet  see  that 
my  work  shall  be  for  Mexico's  good.  It  is  true  that  my 
task  is  fraught  with  grave  peril,  but  what  knight  ever 
faltered  in  face  of  danger?  I  shall  win,  I  shall  demon- 
strate to  the  warring  elements  that  I  am  working  for 
Mexico's  good.  I  cannot  express  to  you  in  words,  General 
Bazaine,  the  sorrow  I  feel  at  your  departure.  The  unfal- 
tering loyalty  and  strong  support  which  you  have  ren- 
dered the  empire  will  ever  be  gratefully  remembered  by 
me.  I  thank  you  sincerely,  and  to  you  and  your  brave 
troops  I  express  warmest  thanks.  Keturn,  and  convey  to 
your  ruler  expressions  of  my  most  distinguished  regard. 
To  you,  also,  Colonel  Breton,  who  have  given  me 
undeniable  proof  of  your  devotion  to  the  empire,  I  say 
your  noble  work  shall  always  be  cherished.  Gentlemen, 
I  can  say  no  more.  Further  argument  is  useless,  for  I 
have  fully  determined  to  be  faithful  to  Mexico  unto 
death." 

As  he  concluded  Maximilian  had  arisen  from  his  chair 
and  stood  facing  the  men  before  him.  His  bright  blue 
eyes  flashed  with  excitement  and  his  cheeks  flushed. 


314  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

His  appearance  was  truly  majestic;  he  looked  every  inch 
a  ruler. 

Bazaine's  voice  was  husky  as  he  replied:  "Sire,  I  can 
add  nothing  more,  but  to  express  my  admiration  of  your 
nobility  of  purpose  and  courage  of  action.  Long  live  the 
empire  of  Maximilian ! ' ' 

As  for  Breton,  he  was  charmed,  entranced.  The  true 
patriotism  of  the  Austrian  had  touched  deeply  the  well- 
springs  of  his  nature.  Leave  such  a  man  while  Armand 
Breton  had  a  sword  and  an  arm  to  wield  it — never! 

"And,  your  majesty,"  he  said  in  a  voice  trembling 
with  emotion,  "General  Bazaine  has  spoken  fitting  words 
which  find  ready  response  in  my  heart,  but  I  crave  per- 
mission to  ask  a  favor. ' ' 

The  emperor  smiled  sadly. 

"Small,  indeed,  are  the  favors  that  I  can  grant,  but 
such  as  they  are,  Colonel  Breton,  they  are  at  your  serv- 
ice. What  would  you?" 

"I  desire  to  remain  in  Mexico  and  fight  for  the  empire 
of  Maximilian. ' ' 

The  emperor  started,  he  had  not  looked  for  such  proof 
of  loyalty.  He  came  forward  and  shook  Breton's  hand 
impulsively,  while  his  eyes  grew  moist.  "Ferdinand 
Max"  had  for  the  moment  become  the  comrade. 

"And  you  choose  to  remain  with  me,  Colonel  Breton? 
That  is  your  wish  ?  So  it  shall  be.  Ah,  your  friendship 
is,  of  a  very  truth,  of  the  right  kind." 

And  so  it  came  about  that  Armand  Breton  remained 
behind  when  the  French  troops  sailed  from  Vera  Cruz. 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  315 


CHAPTER  XX. 

"WE   1PTST   WATCH   THIS  LOPEZ.'* 

THE  emperor,  together  with  Breton,  accompanied 
Bazaine  as  far  as  Orizaba,  where  both  bade  him  an  affec- 
tionate farewell. 

Only  a  comparatively  short  distance  below  him  in  the 
harbor  of  Vera  Cruz  lay  the  Austrian  man-of-war  Novara, 
the  same  ship  in  which  "Ferdinand  Max"  had  come  to 
Mexico,  and  which  was  now  sent  by  the  Emperor  of  Aus- 
tria to  bear  him  across  the  seas  to  his  native  land.  The 
Austrian  emperor  has  generously  reinstated  him  as  Arch- 
duke of  Austria,  and  eventual  heir  to  the  throne  which  he 
had  resigned  when  leaving  for  Mexico. 

Whatever  might  have  been  the  real  feelings  of  Maxi- 
milian as  he  turned  his  face  from  the  offer  of  the  Aus- 
trian emperor,  he  concealed  them  effectually,  and  yet 
within  reach  lay  the  gallant  bark  on  which  he  had  cov- 
ered the  navigable  waters  of  the  globe  when  he  was 
admiral  of  the  Austrian  navy,  ready  and  waiting  to  bear 
him  back  to  the  land  he  loved  so  well,  the  land  where  he 
would  become  heir  once  more  to  the  dual  throne  of  the 
Hapsburgs.  It  must  have  cost  Maximilian  a  bitter  pang 
to  turn  his  back  upon  the  retreating  troops  of  Bazaine 


316  THE  SWORD  OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

and  his  beloved  flagship  Novara,  waiting  for  him  there 
in  the  harbor  below.  Stern  old  Admiral  Tegethoff  waited 
in  vain  for  his  beloved  Maximilian.  When  he  learned  of 
the  emperor's  decision  he  gave  vent  to  his  feelings  in  a 
forcible  manner.  Tegethoff  was  destined  once  more  to 
visit  Vera  Cruz,  and  on  the  Novara  take  back  the  remains 
of  the  Mexican  emperor  to  rest  in  the  mausoleum  at 
Vienna,  where  lie  the  rulers  of  his  race. 

On  the  way  back  to  the  capital  Maximilian  seemed  in 
exuberant  spirits.  He  explained  to  Breton  some  matters 
relating  to  the  encouragement  of  art  and  science  in 
Mexico  which  he  had  under  serious  consideration.  Bre- 
ton thought  the  enthusiasm  of  the  emperor  too  marked  to 
be  sincere,  and  he  believed  that  it  was  only  by  such 
efforts  on  his  part  that  he  could  throw  off  the  cloud  of 
gloom  which  must  naturally  settle  upon  him  after  his 
final  rejection  of  the  heirship  of  the  Austrian  throne,  and 
the  reviving  of  old  memories  which  were  brought  into 
bitter  contrast  with  his  present  surroundings. 

Bazaine  had  made  himself  very  unpopular  with  the 
Mexicans,  while  the  arrogance  and  covetousness  of  his 
officers  had  become  well-nigh  intolerable.  Their  Mexi- 
can campaign  had  been  specially  beneficial  to  them  in 
the  matter  of  personal  enrichment. 

But  with  the  departure  of  the  French  troops  the  sup- 
port of  France  was  gone  also. 

Three-quarters  of  the  empire  was  lost,  but  still  the 
capital  was  held,  which  gave  the  government  residing 
there  the  stamp  of  legitimacy.  Then  there  was  Vera 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  317 

Cruz,  the  rich  coast  city,  still  under  the  imperial  banner. 
Other  important  points,  Pueblo,  Queretaro,  were  loyal. 
With  the  tide  once  turned  the  sway  of  the  empire  might 
still  be  recognized  from  Yucatan  to  El  Paso.  Mexico  was 
not  lost,  but  hasty  action  was  necessary  to  prevent  the 
forces  of  Juarez  from  uniting  and  marching  on  the 
capital. 

Leaving  all  of  the  foreign  troops  in  Mexico,  the 
emperor  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  two  thousand 
Mexicans.  By  this  act  he  showed  the  confidence  he  had 
in  the  Mexican  people.  It  was  his  intention  to  march  to 
Queretaro,  which  city  was  really  the  key  to  the  valley  of 
Mexico,  and  an  army  advancing  against  the  capital  from 
the  north  could  not  leave  Queretaro  in  its  rear.  The 
march  to  that  city  was  constantly  impeded  by  the  Liberal 
forces.  Frequently  during  the  journey  Maximilian  called 
Breton  to  his  side.  He  spoke  of  his  hopes  and  anticipa- 
tions, and  said  he  felt  sanguine  of  the  ultimate  success  of 
the  imperial  arms.  By  leaving  the  foreign  troops  in  the 
capital  he  had  confided  his  person  and  fate  to  the  Mexi- 
cans alone,  and  by  this  act  he  flattered  their  vanity  and 
won  their  love. 

It  was  past  the  middle  of  February  when  the  army  of 
Maximilian  halted  on  the  hills  surrounding  Queretaro. 
The  place,  while  of  great  strategic  value,  was  badly  situ- 
ated for  defense,  as  the  hills  surrounding  it,  Breton  saw 
at  a  glance,  were  within  easy  cannon  range. 

While  they  rode  down  toward  the  city  Maximilian 
chatted  pleasantly  with  the  members  of  his  staff.  He 


318  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

seemed   in  better  spirits,  Breton  thought,  than  at  any 
time  since  Bazaine's  departure. 

"A  poor  city  for  a  siege,"  Armand  remarked  to  a  Prus- 
sian officer,  who,  like  himself,  served  on  the  personal 
staff  of  the  emperor. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  officer,  Baron  Von  Hahn,  "and 
unless  we  are  to  receive  the  reinforcements  expected,  I 
fail  to  see  why  Escobedo  cannot  shut  us  up  like  rats  in  a 
trap,"  and  Von  Hahn  shrugged  his  shoulders.  Baron 
Von  Hahn  was  a  dashing  Prussian  officer,  who  had  seen 
service  in  the  Holstein  war  and  been  decorated  for 
bravery.  He  was  a  soldier ;  war  was  his  element,  and  his 
adventurous  spirit  had  brought  him  across  the  seas  to 
fight  for  the  cause  of  Maximilian,  who  had  twice  deco- 
rated him  for  deeds  of  valor. 

"They  cannot  bottle  us  up,  even  if  the  people  here  fail 
to  support  us  as  loyally  as  we  hope. ' ' 

"You  can  never  tell,  Colonel  Breton,"  said  the  Prus- 
sian, "if  we  get  into  the  bottle  just  how  closely  old  Esco- 
bedo will  fit  in  the  opening.  It  may  take  considerable 
wedging  to  get  by  him." 

By  this  time  the  garrison  had  marched  out  to  meet 
them. 

The  followers  of  Maximilian  felt  a  rise  in  their  spirits 
when  they  recognized  among  those  who  greeted  them 
the  soldierly  form  of  General  Miramon,  one  of  the  most 
daring  native  officers  enlisted  in  Maximilian's  cause. 
Miguel  Miramon,  who  even  in  his  twenty-fifth  year  had 
been  president  of  the  republic,  was  a  man  of  superior 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  319 

intellectual  force,  combined  with  all  the  daring  of  a  sol- 
dier—  a  handsome,  ambitious,  true-hearted  Mexican. 
Then  there  was  the  swarthy,  strong-featured  General 
Mejia,  a  man  in  whose  veins  flowed  the  pure  Aztec 
strain.  Mejia  was  one  of  the  best  cavalry  officers  in  all 
Mexico,  and  many  were  the  daring  tales  that  Breton  had 
heard  concerning  the  dashing  Indian  who  wore  the  impe- 
rial uniform.  Another  bulwark  was  the  stately  Escobar, 
whose  clear-cut  features  told  of  his  Castilian  ancestry. 

Greetings  over,  the  army  of  the  emperor  entered  the 
flag-decked  city. 

Shortly  after  the  emperor  issued  an  army  order  which 
was  read  to  all  the  troops  in  Queretaro,  informing  them 
that  he  had  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  army  in 
order  to  fight  for  national  unity  and  for  the  restoration 
of  order. 

For  some  time  the  army  was  augmented  by  fresh  ar- 
rivals. Thousands  of  troops  and  officers  of  undoubted 
ability  continued  to  swell  the  ranks  of  Maximilian's  sup- 
porters. The  army  was  divided,  the  intrepid  Miramon 
commanding  the  infantry  while  the  swarthy  Mejia  was  in 
control  of  the  cavalry  forces. 

Further  reinforcements  were  expected  from  the  capital, 
and  in  the  meanwhile  cavalry  patrols  scoured  the  country 
to  gain  information  as  to  the  movements  of  the  native 
forces.  It  was  at  this  juncture  that  a  dispatch  reached 
the  emperor  announcing  the  fact  that  as  the  capital  itself 
was  threatened  it  would  be  impossible  to  send  the  troops 
which  he  had  ordered  to  Queretaro  to  assist  him.  Bre- 


320  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

ton  and  Von  Halm,  who  had  obtained  permission  t« 
accompany  a  detachment  of  Mejia's  cavalry,  learned 
through  the  priests  and  farmers  that  Escobedo's  men 
were  concentrating  at  Celaya,  less  than  six  leagues  from 
the  imperial  headquarters.  Shortly  after  the  report  was 
confirmed  by  the  appearance  of  the  Mexican  forces  on  the 
plain  west  of  Cerro  de  Campana.  Later  the  cavalry 
skirmishers  of  the  Mexican  leader  approached  the  lines  of 
Maximilian,  whose  officers  had  made  preparations  to  give 
them  a  hearty  reception.  Days  passed  by. 

Von  Hahn  grumbled  over  the  delay. 

"The  longer  we  wait  here  behind  these  fortifications 
the  more  opportunity  we  give  them  to  get  into  shape  for 
a  regular  siege,"  he  remarked  to  Breton,  after  he  had 
noted  the  delay  in  attack  upon  the  part  of  Escobedo. 

"Your  idea  corresponds  precisely  with  mine,"  replied 
Breton.  "Now  that  the  emperor  has  received  word  that 
he  is  not  to  have  the  support  he  sent  for  from  the  capital, 
I  should  say  move  out  upon  the  enemy  at  once,  scatter 
them,  break  them  in  two.  But  then  we  are  only  staff 
officers,  while  Marquez  is  in  command,  and  if  his  policy 
is  to  await  the  attack,  why,  then,  we  must  restrain  our- 
selves." 

"Yes,  and  all  the  while  the  enemy  are  growing  stronger, 
and  this  is  the  poorest  spot  in  the  world  to  hold  against 
a  protracted  siege.  Every  house  can  be  reached  with 
guns  from  the  hills ,  and  a  defense  can  only  be  made  by 
an  army  numerous  enough  to  occupy  them. ' ' 

"At  present  they  have  an  army  twice  as  numerous  as 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  321 

ours  if  I  mistake  not,"  said  Breton,  who  had  been  care- 
fully surveying  the  movements  of  Escobedo  through  a 
field  glass. 

"No  doubt  you  are  correct,"  replied  the  baron,  "and 
their  army  will  be  steadily  on  the  increase,  while  if  we 
are  to  remain  long  shut  up  here  our  army  will  be  on  the 
decrease.  These  cursed  Mexicans  have  to  be  locked  up 
at  night,  or  they  will  desert  by  the  morning.  The 
emperor  made  a  mistake  in  trusting  himself  entirely  to 
them.  It  may  have  been  courageous,  but  the  game  was 
too  dangerous.  With  a  thousand  Germans  and  Austrians 
I  could  cut  through  and  through  those  black-skinned 
devils;"  and  Von  Hahn  scowled,  as  he  gazed  upon  the 
gathering  hosts  that  thronged  the  distant  hills. 

Before  the  day  closed  Breton  and  Von  Hahn  had  con- 
cluded that  the  Mexicans  had  begun  to  make  themselves 
troublesome.  Their  sharpshooters  had  been  doing  tell- 
ing work  among  Maximilian's  men. 

"No  matter  what  General  Marquez  may  say  about 
being  surrounded  by  a  rabble  that  will  become  disorgan- 
ized when  once  attacked,  I,  baron,  have  served  in  the 
war  between  the  states,  and  I  am  confident  those  Mexicans 
whom  our  general  despises  have  among  them  recruits 
drawn  from  both  Union  and  Confederate  ranks,  and  I 
know  they  are  not  easy  antagonists  to  meet. ' ' 

The  baron  replied  by  hurling  a  few  pointed  epithets  at 
the  heads  of  the  Mexicans. 

The  Mexican  General  Escobedo  had  not  remained 
inactive;  he  had  occupied  the  heights  of  San  Pablo; 


322  THE  SWORD  OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

likewise  he  had  constructed  batteries  upon  other  advanta- 
geous elevations.  The  siege  of  Queretaro  had  com- 
menced in  earnest. 

The  day  following  Escobedo  attacked  the  city  at  three 
different  points ;  his  troops  were  repulsed  with  great  loss. 
The  cavalry,  led  by  the  impetuous  Mejia,  had  swept  the 
plain  of  the  disordered  soldiers  of  the  republic.  He 
had  pursued  them,  making  terrible  havoc  in  their  ranks. 

The  emperor  himself  occupied  the  most  exposed  posi- 
tion during  the  engagement,  notwithstanding  the  earnest 
remonstrances  of  his  officers. 

Breton  and  Von  Hahn  longed  to  be  relieved  of  staff 
duties  in  order  that  they  might  try  the  foeman's  steel  to 
better  advantage.  The  opportunity  was  soon  afforded 
them.  The  days  of  fighting  had  resulted  in  the  death  of 
a  number  of  brave  officers,  and  Maximilian,  knowing  full 
well  the  advantage  of  having  his  troops  well  officered, 
remarked  to  Breton :  "The  result  of  the  day's  fight  has 
been  the  loss  of  a  number  of  excellent  officers.  If  you 
think  that  you  can  serve  my  cause  better  by  filling  a 
vacancy,  you  shall  have  an  opportunity.  I  know  that  in 
such  times  the  value  of  a  brave  officer  is  greater  in  line 
than  in  staff  duty."  Turning  to  Von  Hahn,  he  added: 
"I  may  say  the  same  to  you,  baron;  while  I  appreciate 
the  value  of  your  personal  services,  I  do  not  wish  to 
restrain  you  from  taking  a  more  trying  position  if  you 
desire."  The  officers  enthusiastically  accepted  the 
proffered  change,  and  shortly  after  were  assigned  to  the 
command  of  separate  regiments. 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  323 

Breton  was  in  an  exultant  mood  when  he  learned  that 
in  his  command  was  a  sprinkling  of  American,  French, 
and  Austrian  soldiers. 

Von  Hahn's  regiment  was  composed  entirely  of  native 
troops,  some  of  whom  were  mere  boys.  He,  however, 
was  in  the  best  of  spirits  over  the  thought  of  leading  a 
command  against  the  opposing  forces. 

He  had  not  long  to  wait ;  his  regiment  had  to  hold  a 
bridge  across  the  Kio  Blanco.  On  the  opposite  side  a 
battery  was  placed.  The  gallant  Prussian  concluded  to 
silence  the  battery.  He  swept  across,  and  although  half 
of  his  command  weakened,  he  himself  at  the  head  of  a 
few  men  succeeded  in  silencing  the  guns  which  were 
causing  much  trouble  in  the  city.  The  lull  caused  by 
Von  Hahn's  capture  of  the  battery  at  the  bridge  was 
short;  great  masses  of  troops  were  seen  forming  for 
another  attack.  They  were  moved  forward,  and  the  town 
was  again  stormed  at  several  points.  They  were  repulsed 
everywhere,  and  again  retired  after  suffering  severe  loss. 

That  night  when  a  council  of  war  was  held  Mejia  pro- 
posed that  Miramon  attack  the  forces  of  Escobedo  at  one 
point,  while  he  at  the  head  of  his  cavalry  thundered  at 
them  on  their  flank.  Breton  and  Von  Hahn  strongly 
upheld  Mejia,  but  against  them  was  Marquez,  chief  of 
staff,  and  Lopez,  who  was  to  become  the  Judas  of  Quere- 
taro.  The  emperor  wavered :  he  could  not  go  against  hi« 
favorite  general. 

"But,  your  majesty,"  persisted  Mejia,  the  intrepid 
warrior,  "we  are  shut  up  in  an  unfavorable  locality; 


324  THE  SWORD  OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

around  us  is  a  rich  country ;  haciendas  bountifully  sup- 
plied are  within  our  reach ;  these  are  now  used  by  the 
enemy.  In  the  south  we  should  raise  a  larger  army. 
Vera  Cruz  is  still  yours.  Here  we  have  nothing — neither 
ammunition  nor  provisions  in  abundance,  while  our  posi- 
tion is  most  exposed.  Again,  the  Liberals  will  not  stand 
against  us  if  we  attack  them  at  once.  I  know  the  tem- 
perament of  these  people.  If  we  attack  them  now  they 
will  flee  before  us.  They  are  disheartened  over  their 
defeat.  Later  they  will  have  to  be  beaten  over  again. 
"We  can  now  disperse  them,  and  with  half  of  the  cavalry 
I  could  advance  up  to  San  Luis  Potosi  and  capture  Juarez 
at  his  seat  of  government,  while  your  majesty  moves 
south  raising  a  larger  army  in  the  still  loyal  section. ' ' 

The  bold  words  of  Mejia  had  an  effect  upon  the 
emperor.  Miramon  warmly  seconded  the  proposal ;  but 
the  tide  was  turned  by  Marquez,  whose  opinion  was  all- 
powerful  with  the  emperor.  It  was  decided  to  remain 
in  Queretaro. 

Von  Hahn  was  in  an  irritable  frame  of  mind  when  Bre- 
ton and  he  returned  through  the  alameda  to  their  quar- 
ters. 

"Marquez  has  made  the  emperor  decide  upon  the  worst 
move  possible.  They  are  getting  stronger  all  the  time, 
while  we  are  being  reduced.  I  dislike  Marquez,  and 
what  is  more,  I  detest  Colonel  Lopez,  wb.o  will  invariably 
agree  with  Marquez.  Lopez  is  treacheroiis ;  he  has  a 
snaky  eye. ' ' 

Frequent  attacks  continued  at  the  key  points  of  the 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  325 

besieged  city,  while  all  kinds  of  missiles  were  continually 
descending  upon  the  inhabitants,  who  had  grown  to  look 
with  unconcern  upon  the  exploding  shell  or  whizzing  ball. 

Things  had  grown  steadily  worse,  and  it  became  more 
imperative  that  some  move  be  taken  to  relieve  the  sup- 
porters of  Maximilian. 

Through  a  spy  it  had  been  learned  that  Escobedo  ex- 
pected a  large  supply  of  ammunition,  artillery,  and  pro- 
visions to  reach  San  Jacinto  the  following  morning.  A 
bold  move  was  decided  upon.  Mejia  with  his  cavalry  was 
to  swoop  down  upon  this  village,  about  a  league  distant, 
capture  the  whole  train,  and  convoy  it  to  the  city,  while 
Miramon  made  a  feint  at  engaging  the  besiegers  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  town.  Mejia's  men  drove  the  Mexi- 
cans before  them  like  chaff,  and  succeeded  in  capturing 
a  portion  of  the  train,  but  to  his  extreme  regret  he  found 
that  the  artillery  had  been  distributed  among  the  army. 
After  the  train  of  provisions  had  been  brought  within  the 
walls  of  Queretaro  it  was  found  that  the  price  paid  for  it 
was  not  low.  A  number  of  officers  and  men  had  fallen, 
but  the  army  in  the  beleaguered  town  had  a  fresh  supply 
of  provisions.  Later  it  was  concluded  that  Marquez  him- 
self with  a  thousand  cavalry  should  leave  for  Mexico  and 
bring  from  that  city  all  the  troops  and  money  procur- 
able. It  was  after  midnight  when  Marquez  and  his  men 
passed  out  of  the  Garrita  Mazin,  swept  by  El  Jacal,  over 
the  hills  to  the  capital,  hotly  pursued  by  Escobedo's 
cavalry,  who  believed  that  the  emperor  himself  was  with 
them. 


326  THE  SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

With  the  departure  of  Marquez  the  situation  had  not 
improved  at  Queretaro,  while  the  army  of  Escobedo  was 
daily  increasing,  as  Juarez,  realizing  the  importance  of 
capturing  Queretaro,  was  continually  sending  fresh 
troops  and  artillery  to  the  besieged  city. 

Knowing  that  imperial  forces  were  much  weakened  by 
reason  of  the  departure  of  a  large  body  of  cavalry,  Esco- 
bedo concluded  to  make  an  energetic  attack  upon  the 
weakened  garrison,  hence  all  his  batteries  opened  fire 
against  the  city,  and  a  large  body  of  troops  were  hurled 
forward  against  the  Garrita  Pueblorita.  They  marched 
up  with  great  courage,  notwithstanding  the  terrific  fire  to 
which  they  were  exposed.  They  even  reached  and  passed 
over  the  walls  of  the  city.  The  imperial  reserves  were 
called  out,  and  on  that  critical  moment  hung  the  fate  of 
the  city.  General  Miramon  sent  a  courier  to  Mejia  say- 
ing he  must  swing  around  some  of  his  cavalry  and  attack 
the  enemy  on  the  flank,  or  the  day  was  lost.  Mejia 
quickly  dispatched  Breton  with  his  regiment.  At  the 
head  of  his  troops,  and  with  terrible  momentum,  Breton 
hurled  himself  on  the  left  flank  of  the  almost  victorious 
foe.  His  onslaught  carried  everything  before  it.  It  was 
cyclonic,  and  like  a  human  wedge  he  drove  to  the  center 
of  the  attacking  column.  His  men  were  wild  with  enthu- 
siasm, and  the  babel  of  sounds  behind  him  which  arose 
from  the  multiplicity  of  languages  spoken  by  his  men 
would  have  amused  him  on  any  other  occasion.  Armand 
Breton's  fighting  blood  was  aroused.  As  his  father  had 
charged  Marengo  so  he  rode  at  Queretaro.  In  his  right 


THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  3*7 

hand  a  reddened  blade  was  swung  high  aloft.  It  was  the 
sword  of  the  pyramids,  and  its  polished  steel  surface  was 
dimmed  by  the  crimson  flow  of  human  blood.  The  forces 
of  Escobedo  were  checked.  Miramon's  men,  rushing 
from  their  bravely-defended  position,  commenced  a 
dreadful  slaughter  with  their  bayonets.  The  tide  was 
turned,  and  the  attack  of  Breton's  cavalry  had  brought  it 
about.  The  Mexicans,  who  a  few  moments  before  seemed 
sure  of  victory,  now  became  panic  stricken  and  fled 
toward  their  lines,  throwing  away  their  muskets  as  they 
ran.  The  emperor  himself  had  been  exposed  to  the  hot- 
test fire  and  was  a  witness  of  Breton's  impetuous  attack 
which  had  carried  the  day. 

He  was  much  affected  when  he  greeted  Breton,  and 
said: 

"Colonel  Breton,  I  cannot  thank  you  sufficiently  for 
your  valorous  action,  and  shall  to-morrow  take  pleasure 
in  giving  you  some  token  in  appreciation  of  your  brav- 
ery;" andTie  clasped  Breton's  hand  warmly. 

"Thanks,  your  majesty,  I  am  repaid  by  the  assurance 
from  you  that  I  served  your  cause  efficiently, ' '  answered 
the  young  officer. 

All  officers  recommended  for  decorations  were  assem- 
bled on  the  plaza  on  the  morrow  to  receive  a  personal 
recognition  from  the  emperor  for  gallant  service.  Von 
Hahn  was  summoned  with  Breton  and  a  number  of  other 
officers  who  were  to  receive  decorations  and  promotions 
as  well. 

The  emperor  himself  attached  the  bronze  medals  to 


328  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

their  breasts  and  handed  them  their  commissions  of 
higher  rank,  as  he  warmly  praised  them  for  their  gal- 
lantry. Reaching  Breton  he  said,  after  pinning  a  medal 
upon  his  breast : 

"Colonel  Breton,  your  action  to-day  places  you  among 
the  heroic  defenders  of  the  empire;  and  as  death  has 
made  possible  an  immediate  official  recognition  of  your 
services,  I  may  with  exceeding  pleasure  announce  the 
fact  to  you,  and  to  my  officers,  that  your  commission  as 
general  of  brigade  in  the  imperial  army  will  date  from 
yesterday,  the  time  of  your  knightly  action  in  defense  of 
this  city." 

Breton  was  much  affected  and  murmured  his  thanks 
for  the  emperor's  generous  action. 

April  came.  No  word  had  been  received  from  General 
Marquez,  who  had  pledged  his  word  as  a  soldier  to  return 
in  two  weeks,  and  had  also  promised  to  send  word  daily 
through  the  priests.  The  day  fixed  for  his  return  passed, 
and  even  the  emperor  himself  began  to  entertain  suspi- 
cion regarding  the  loyalty  of  the  man  whom  he  had  dis- 
patched to  his  capital  for  succor. 

His  officers,  Miramon,  Mejia,  and  Breton,  all  had  con- 
cluded that  Marquez  had  proved  traitorous  to  his  mis- 
sion, and  at  their  mess  no  concealment  was  made  of 
their  belief. 

Von  Hahn  was  emphatic  in  his  opinion  of  Marquez, 
and  openly  condemned  his  actions  in  the  strongest  terms. 
One  day  while  Breton  and  he  sat  in  their  quarters,  he 
remarked : 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  329 

"As  I  told  you  when  we  came  here,  the  longer  we 
remain  in  this  cursed  hole,  the  harder  it  is  to  extricate 
ourselves.  Escobedo  has  been  drawing  his  lines  closer, 
and  unless  we  make  a  dash  through  them  soon,  and  get 
up  to  the  Sierra  Gordo,  where  General  Mejia  was  born, 
and  where  to-day  he  is  king,  a  country  where  a  few  men 
stationed  in  the  passes  could  hold  back  an  army,  why,  we 
will  all  be  strung  up  some  fine  morning.  Marquez  never 
intended  to  return.  These  Mexicans  are  treacherous; 
you  can't  depend  upon  them.  There  is  Colonel  Lopez, 
another  of  the  traitorous  wretches,  I  don't  like  the  looks 
of  the  man;  still  he  is  a  favorite  with  the  emperor. " 

"I  agree  with  you  Von  Hahn, "  Breton  replied,  "there 
is  something  about  the  fellow  which  to  me  is  repellent. 
I  cannot  tell  why,  but  I  have  always  disliked  Lopez ;  and, ' ' 
continued  Breton  in  a  lower  tone,  "my  man  Lafe  told 
me  that  last  night  while  he  was  down  by  the  Garrita  Luis, 
he  saw  Lopez  sneak  in  under  the  shadow  of  the  old  Span- 
ish aqueduct,  and  that  he  came  directly  from  the  lines  of 
the  enemy.  Now  what  think  you  was  his  quest?  Lafe 
tells  me  that  he  was  not  mistaken  in  the  man.  It  was 
Lopez.  He  wore  the  dress  of  a  civilian  and  avoided 
recognition." 

Von  Hahn  blew  a  puff  of  smoke  toward  the  ceiling,  and 
just  then  a  cannon  ball  passed  through  the  wall  within 
three  feet  of  where  the  officer  sat.  Without  moving  from 
his  seat  the  Prussian  brushed  lightly  the  plaster  dust 
from  his  garments,  and  remarked : 

"This  is  serious.    I  don't  mean  that,"  nodding  toward 


330  THE  SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

the  ball  which  had  imbedded  itself  in  the  opposite  wall, 
"but  this  man  Lopez.  What  was  the  scoundrel  doing 
there,  you  ask  ?  I  can  answer.  He  was  there  for  no  good 
purpose.  He  is  a  cutthroat,  and  would  betray  us  to  the 
tender  mercies  of  Escobedo." 

"You  do  not  think  him  vile  enough  for  that?" 

"Assuredly,  treacherous  enough  for  any  purpose." 

Armand  started  and  said  excitedly : 

"You  are  not  far  from  correct.  It  has  just  occurred  to 
me  that  we  may  credit  this  man  with  more.  You  know 
the  rockets  that  were  sent  by  the  enemy  from  the  heights 
of  San  Gregorio?" 

"The  devil! — yes,  I  see,  you  have  it.  They  were 
answered  by  rocket  signals  just  back  of  the  alameda 
within  our  lines,  and  no  one  could  explain  how  it 
occurred." 

"And  the  same  night  the  enemy  stormed  the  entire 
river  front,"  said  Breton.  "Had  not  Miramon  made 
some  changes  after  our  council  that  side  would  have  been 
practically  unprotected  and  the  enemy  could  have  forced 
our  lines.  Lopez  was  at  our  council,  knew  our  weakness 
on  the  river  side,  but  did  not  know  that  Miramon  had 
changed  the  assignment  of  troops  later." 

"We  must  watch  this  Lopez.  I  think  I  had  better  call 
him  out  and  shoot  him;  he  deserves  it, "  growled  Von 
Hahn. 

"It  will  be  best  to  keep  our  suspicion  from  the 
emperor,  who  trusts  the  man ;  in  the  meanwhile  watch 
him  so  that  he  can  do  no  further  harm.  We  must  have 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  331 

proof  to  support  our  belief.  I  will  instruct  Lafe  to  watch 
him ;  he  is  faithful  and  trusty.  We  will  outwit  him,  and 
prevent  him  from  carrying  out  his  fiendish  designs. 
Should  we  tell  our  fears  to  the  emperor  he  would  consider 
that  we  have  cruelly  misjudged  the  man.  He  would  be 
still  more  unhappy  than  at  present.  Should  we  tell  the 
chief  officers  it  would  be  worse  still ;  we  are  foreigners, 
and  they,  jealous  of  our  influence  with  the  emperor,  would 
not  look  upon  our  charge  with  favor.  No,  we  must  wait, 
and  in  the  meanwhile  maintain  the  closest  vigil." 

"And  if  I  catch  the  dark-skinned  traitor  up  to  any  of 
his  infernal  dodges  he  will  have  to  settle " 

"Ah,  gentlemen,  please  excuse  the  interruption.  I  came 
in  to  chat  over  the  latest  order  with  you.  I  see,  Baron 
Von  Hahn,  that  you  had  a  narrow  escape  from  that  ball 
lodged  yonder. " 

Both  officers  turned,  and  in  the  doorway  stood  Manuel 
Lopez,  the  very  man  about  whom  they  had  been  convers- 
ing. Had  he  overheard  their  conversation  ?  His  swarthy 
features  were  impenetrable,  and  if  aware  of  their  feelings 
toward  him,  he  did  not  exhibit  it  in  the  slightest  degree 
in  his  actions. 

As  for  Von  Hahn,  he  was  in  an  ugly  mood,  and  Breton 
feared  lest  his  passion  should  prove  uncontrollable  and  he 
should  openly  accuse  Lopez  of  treachery.  Should  he  do 
this  it  would  only  cause  trouble,  and  the  army  would  be 
divided  in  their  opinion  of  his  guilt.  Better  far  to  watch 
his  actions.  The  conversation  was  turned  into  channels 
speculative  of  Marquez's  return. 


332  tTHE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

JUDAS. 

MORE  weary  waiting.  Several  terrible  actions  had 
taken  place,  and  in  all  the  sorties  made  by  the  besieged 
army  they  had  suffered  much  loss.  To  add  to  the  horrors 
of  the  situation,  provisions  became  scarce,  and  the  troops 
were  fed  on  boiled  horseflesh,  without  bread  or  tortillas. 

The  situation  was  getting  more  and  more  desper- 
ate. At  a  council  it  was  decided  that  Breton  should 
break  the  enemy's  line  with  a  force  of  cavalry,  reach 
Mexico,  and  return  with  all  the  available  troops  there,  in 
order  to  raise  the  siege  at  Queretaro.  Breton  was  em- 
powered to  arrest  Marquez  should  he  find  the  reports  con- 
cerning his  treason  to  have  foundation.  Armand  selected 
a  well-equipped  detachment  of  cavalry-  Von  Hahn  was  to 
accompany  him  as  aid,  while  a  corps  of  guides  who  knew 
every  mountain  path  were  to  lead.  It  was  decided  that 
Miramon  should  attack  the  enemy  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  city,  while  Breton  and  his  men  were  to  ford  the  river 
at  a  shallow  point  and  push  on  to  a  mountain  rendezvous. 
The  night  was  dark  and  seemed  particularly  favorable  to 
the  undertaking.  Almost  noiselessly  the  body  of  horse- 
men reached  the  fording  place  in  the  river ;  the  passage 
was  narrow,  and  the  guides  had  informed  the  leader  that 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  333 

the  width  of  the  crossing  would  admit  of  the  passage  of 
but  two  abreast.  Breton  waited  until  more  than  half  of 
his  command  had  passed  over,  when  turning  to  Von  Hahn 
who  sat  motionless  at  his  side,  he  said:  "We  will  go 
now,  baron,  and  await  the  rear  of  the  column  on  the 
other  side.  You  may  accompany  us,  Lafe, "  he  said  to 
the  ever-faithful  attendant.  They  were  in  midstream 
when  the  Prussian  seized  Breton  by  the  arm,  while  he 
poured  out  a  volley  of  oaths. 

"Look!  there  is  the  work  of  the  villain  Lopez.  We 
have  trouble  ahead. ' ' 

Out  of  the  blackness  of  the  night  from  the  heights  of 
the  town  behind  them  swept  a  rocket,  leaving  a  trail  of 
brilliant  sparks  behind.  Then  another  and  another,  all 
pointed  in  the  direction  which  the  horsemen  were  to 
take. 

"Betrayed,"  muttered  Breton.  "There  is  no  mistak- 
ing the  meaning  of  those  rockets.  They  point  in  the 
direction  we  are  going.  Lopez  has  informed  the  enemy 
of  our  course.  Let  us  press  on  rapidly,  and  remember,  if 
I  fall  you  must  go  on  to  Mexico. ' ' 

Soon  the  rattle  of  musketry  in  advance  told  them  that 
already  the  enemy  disputed  their  right  to  pass. 

"It  is  infantry  there,  and  before  they  have  never  had 
infantry  on  this  side  of  the  city.  They  have  always 
guarded  here  with  cavalry,"  said  Von  Hahn. 

The  opposite  shore  was  reached,  and  the  officers  passed 
on;  soon,  however,  the  line  came  to  a  dead  halt.  An. 
orderly  came  back  looking  for  the  chief. 


334  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

"General  Breton,"  he  said,  "we  cannot  move  a  rod 
ahead.  Captain  Alvarez  has  sent  me  back  to  tell  you  and 
await  your  orders.  There  are  solid  masses  of  infantry 
ahead." 

"Go  back  and  join  your  leader;  tell  him  I  say  we  must 
go  on ;  there  is  no  turning  back,  no  matter  what  is  before 
us." 

The  fire  became  hotter,  and  when  Breton  reached  the 
front  he  saw  that  heavy  firing  was  going  on  in  front  and 
flank.  The  night  had  grown  lighter,  and  his  quick  eye 
located  dense  columns  of  infantry  immediately  before  his 
men.  To  attempt  to  force  through  those  lines  meant  the 
total  annihilation  of  his  command.  But  Armand  Breton 
would  not  turn  back  without  a  combat. 

Flesh  and  blood  could  not  force  its  way  through  that 
countless  array  of  bayonets.  The  lines  beyond  seemed 
endless.  After  two  encounters  Breton  knew  that  it  meant 
a  rout,  and  quietly  the  order  was  given  to  fall  back.  A 
bullet  had  grazed  his  leg  and  Von  Hahn's  left  arm  was 
shattered.  Without  disorder,  but  with  terribly  thinned 
ranks,  the  force  retreated ;  but  they  were  not  pressed  hard 
to  the  river  by  Escobedo's  men,  who  seemed  satisfied  with 
driving  them  back  to  the  battle  line  of  Queretaro  once 
more. 

Armand  was  disheartened  over  the  failure  of  his  relief 
expedition,  and  he  could  scarcely  summon  sufficient  cour- 
age to  meet  the  emperor  on  the  following  morning. 

Von  Hahn  lay  tossing  in  delirium  in  the  hospital.  It 
had  been  found  necessary  to  remove  his  arm. 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  335 

The  emperor  seemed  so  dejected  over  Breton's  failure 
to  reach  Mexico  that  the  latter  hesitated  to  tell  him  his 
belief  that  Lopez's  treachery  had  accomplished  the  ruin 
of  his  mission. 

Engagements  followed  which  only  cost  men  without 
bringing  the  least  advantage,  and  the  position  of  the 
army  behind  the  fortifications  at  Queretaro  became  each 
day  more  untenable.  Daily  a  terrible  bombardment  was 
continued. 

At  last  it  was  decided  by  a  council  of  war  that  only 
two  ways  were  open  to  Maximilian,  either  to  attempt  to 
break  through  with  his  entire  army,  or  to  surrender.  The 
former  course  was  settled  upon,  and  the  encircling  lines 
of  Escobedo  were  to  be  broken. 

The  task  of  breaking  through  the  lines  of  the  besiegers 
with  the  entire  force  at  Maximilian's  disposal  did  not 
seem  an  impossible  one,  as  Escobedo 's  whole  army  was 
employed  in  maintaining  the  lines  without  keeping  any 
troops  in  reserve. 

A  date  was  decided  upon  when  an  attempt  to  escape 
should  be  made.  The  guns  were  all  to  be  spiked  and 
during  the  entire  night  one  or  two  thousand  Indians  were 
to  keep  up  a  fire  of  musketry  in  order  to  mask  the  escape 
of  the  army.  The  Indians  would  do  anything  for  Gen- 
eral Mejia,  and  it  was  considered  best  that  toward  morn- 
ing they  should  throw  away  their  arms  and  retire  to  the 
houses.  Then  the  army  of  Escobedo  could  occupy  Quere- 
taro without  resistance.  All  of  the  wounded  soldiers 
were  to  be  left  in  the  hospitals.  It  grieved  Breton 


336  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

exceedingly  to  leave  the  gallant  Von  Halm  behind,  and 
the  night  before  the  break  for  liberty  was  to  be  made,  he 
visited  the  hospital  where  the  brave  Prussian  lay.  Von 
Hahn  was  much  improved.  His  fever  had  subsided,  and 
his  brain  was  clear. 

"At  last, "  he  said  after  being  informed  of  the  pro- 
posed move,  "the  emperor  has  decided  upon  the  move 
which  should  have  been  taken  weeks  ago.  Here  we  have 
been  cooped  up  behind  these  walls,  all  the  while  growing 
less  in  numbers.  All  I  regret  is  that  I  shall  be  unable  to 
go  with  you.  But  it  will  be  comforting  to  me  when  I 
become  one  of  Escobedo's  prisoners  of  war,  to  kno\v 
that  you  with  the  emperor  are  up  in  the  Cerro  Gordo 
country  safe  from  pursuit.  But,  my  dear  Breton,  let  me 
caution  you  to  keep  a  sharp  watch  over  that  villain, 
Lopez.  He  intends  to  betray  the  army.  Keep  him  at 
arm's  length.  Don't  allow  him  out  of  sight." 

"My  dear  baron,  quiet  your  fears  as  to  that.  Lafe,  my 
man,  never  loses  sight  of  him.  Even  now  he  is  dogging 
his  footsteps, ' '  replied  Breton. 

"Well,  he  cannot  watch  him  too  closely;  your  trouble 
will  come  from  that  direction.  Somehow  I  cannot  en- 
tirely free  my  mind  from  the  haunting  belief  that  Colonel 
Manuel  Lopez  will  yet  betray  this  garrison.  I  am  not  a 
nervous  man,  but  if  I  were  to  receive  notice  of  Lopez's 
death,  methinks  I  should  shed  tears  of  joy.  Oh,  for  the 
pleasure  of  crossing  blades  with  that  man!  I  pray  you 
to  shoot  Lopez  if  there  is  the  least  sign  of  trouble. " 

"Have  no  unrest  on  that  score.     I  really  fail  to  see 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  337 

how  he  can  betray  us.  To-morrow  night,  after  spiking 
all  but  two  or  three  guns  so  that  an  artillery  fire  can  still 
be  kept  up,  we  will  march  out  by  the  Garrita  Mazin, 
leaving  plenty  of  Indians  behind  who  will  keep  up  a  rattle 
of  musketry  all  night  in  order  to  mislead  them  as  to  the 
condition  of  affairs  in  the  city. ' ' 

"And  is  Lopez  acquainted  with  the  programme?" 

"Yes,  but  I  cannot  understand  how  he  can  betray  us. 
We  have  our  entire  force  well  disposed  in  case  of  a  night 
attack,  which  I  do  not  believe  will  come.  Escobedo  seeks 
to  starve  us  out,  rather  than  to  carry  the  place  by  storm. 
He  has  learned  that  there  is  plenty  of  stubborn  fight  in 
the  emperor's  army,  and  I  believe  that  he  will  play  the 
waiting  game." 

"I  trust  you  are  right,  Breton,  but  in  the  meanwhile 
don't  relax  your  vigilance  over  this  Mexican  colonel." 

"Indeed  I  shall  not.  I  will  call  and  see  you  in  the 
morning,  baron,  and  then  later,  before  the  hour  set  for 
our  departure,  I  have  a  message  to  send  by  you  to  my 
dear  wife,  should  I  fall ;  and  somehow,  strive  as  I  will,  I 
cannot  completely  throw  off  the  weight  of  depression 
which  seems  to  have  settled  upon  me  since  that  night 
when  the  enemy  turned  us  back  from  our  march  to 
Mexico.  Never  before  have  I  felt  so  gloomy.  Well, 
baron,  good-night,  I  am  going  to  make  the  rounds  of  the 
garrison  before  retiring.  I  may  be  able  to  shake  off  the 
feeling  of  gloom  that  oppresses  me,"  and  Breton  passed 
out  into  the  night. 

He  visited  the  entire  line  of  fortifications,  and  every- 


338  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

where  he  found  that  vigilance  and  alertness  prevailed. 
Miramon  had  his  men  skillfully  placed,  and  it  was  with 
increased  satisfaction  that  Breton  returned  to  his  quar- 
ters. He  was  much  surprised  to  find  that  Lafe  had  not 
preceded  him.  His  instructions  were  to  return  and 
await  the  coming  of  his  leader,  and  as  Armand  himself 
had  remained  away  much  longer  than  he  had  intended, 
it  was  strange  that  Lafe's  assignment  had  occupied  so 
much  time. 

"Can  it  be  that  he  has  discovered  some  signs  of  treach- 
ery? He  should  have  been  here  before,"  muttered  Bre- 
ton. Lighting  a  cigar  he  paced  the  floor  nervously, 
every  few  minutes  consulting  his  watch. 

"I  don't  know  why  I  am  so  gloomy  to-night,"  he 
thought.  "The  failure  of  Lafe  to  report  I  should  not 
perhaps  construe  as  meaning  that  he  has  traced  Lopez  to 
the  enemy's  stronghold."  After  awhile  he  became  so 
restless  that  he  crossed  the  plaza  and  ascended  to  one  of 
the  highest  points  of  the  town.  Queretaro,  the  city  of 
the  bells,  upon  her  terraced  throne  sat  seemingly  secure 
from  the  forces  of  the  foe  who  had  thrown  a  serpentine 
line  about  her.  The  night  was  not  dark,  and  Armand 
could  plainly  distinguish  the  dark  circle  of  the  enemy 
thrown  like  a  noose  about  the  city,  ready  to  be  drawn 
closer  at  the  direction  of  Escobedo.  Armand  gazed  long 
and  steadily,  and  nowhere  was  discernible  activity  of  any 
nature  to  give  rise  to  the  belief  that  a  night  attack  was 
anticipated.  Satisfied  with  the  result  of  his  observations, 
the  officer  returned  to  his  quarters ;  his  apprehension  of 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  339 

evil  was  not  diminished,  however,  when  he  found  that 
Lafe  was  still  absent. 

Sleep  was  impossible,  and  for  an  hour  Breton  fumed  in 
speculating  as  to  the  cause  of  Lafe's  delay.  Once  more 
he  sauntered  out  into  the  night,  where  all  was  quiet 
Returning  he  flung  himself  on  his  couch  without  remov- 
ing either  his  coat  or  boots. 

Try  as  he  would,  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  throw  off 
the  overpowering  weight  of  gloom.  The  sense  of  im- 
pending danger  seemed  so  strong  that  he  was  unable  to 
sleep.  After  lying  for  hours  without  sinking  into  slum- 
ber, Breton  heard  a  step  on  the  patio  outside  his  room. 
Before  he  had  time  to  reach  the  door,  having  recognized 
the  step,  Lafe  burst  in  and  said  excitedly : 

"  Massa  Armand" — it  was  no  longer  the  man  addressing 
the  officer,  but  the  slave  the  master — "Massa  Armand, 
we  are  betrayed. ' ' 

"What  is  it,  Lafe?"  he  said  quickly;  "out  with  it." 

"Why,  yo'  see,  Massa  Armand,  dis  yer  Gunnel  Lope/ 
that  you  set  me  to  watch " 

"Yes,  goon." 

"Well,  he  went  out  early  an'  I  followed  him :  he  went 
past  our  lines  across  to  where  the  other  general  has  his 
headquarters. ' ' 

"You  mean  Escobedo?" 

"That's  the  man,  su',  an'  a  po'ful  long  time  they  were 
together.  I  wanted  to  hear  what  Gunnel  Lopez  had  to 
say,  so  I  crept  closer.  They  were  speaking  in  Spanish, 
an'  I  could  only  catch  a  word  or  two.  One  or  two  officers 


340  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

sat  with  them;  one  was  a  Yankee,  an'  I  don't  think  he 
could  understand  their  gibberish  a  bit  more  'an  I,  fo'  he 
turned  on  'em  and  said  in  English :  'Now  then,  yo'  fel- 
lows have  settled  the  matter,  out  with  it. '  Gunnel  Lopez 
said  to  him  in  English:  'Simply  this:  when  I  return  I 
shall  personally  pass  the  word  to  our  men  on  duty  that  I 
have  heard  that  Marquez's  men  have  arrived,  and  that  I 
have  word  from  a  scout  that  they  will  get  through  the 
enemy's  line  to-night.  When  they  arrive  at  our  lines 
the  password  will  be  Marquez,  and  they  are  to  let  them 
past  into  our  fortifications.  You  are  to  follow  me  in 
an  hour,  and  without  firing  a  gun  the  city  will  be  ours. ' ' 
"The  cold-blooded  scoundrel!  Go  on,  Lafe,  that 

"Close  to  an  hour  ago,  su',  Massa  Armand. " 

"Good  God,  man,  they  are  here  now." 

"I's  quick  to  slip  back,  but  I  was  discovered,  an'  I 
had  a  right  smart  shave.  There  is  a  few  less  of  them 
fellers  that  chased  me,  but  I  ran  into  the  river,  lost  my 
way,  floundered  around,  an'  here  I  am,  po'ful  sorry  I 
didn't  get  in  sooner." 

"Quick,  Lafe,  to  Miramon's  quarters,  while  I  hasten 
to  join  the  emperor.  Arouse  the  first  guard;  send  word 
along  the  lines  to  fire  upon  any  troops  that  try  to  pass 
our  outposts,"  and  Armand  Breton  was  out  of  his  room 
in  the  courtyard.  No  sooner  had  he  stepped  inte  the 
street  than  far  down  he  saw  moving  lines  of  soldiers.  He 
knew  that  Queretaro  had  fallen  by  the  treachery  of  one  of 
Maximilian's  officers. 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  341 

"Quick,  Lafe,  they  are  already  within  our  lines.  I  will 
go  to  the  emperor, ' '  and  across  the  plaza  ran  Breton  in 
the  direction  of  the  emperor's  headquarters.  It  seemed 
that  Maximilian  must  have  had  some  premonition  of  the 
danger,  because  Breton  found  him  in  his  usual  dress. 
"Your  majesty,"  he  exclaimed,  "we  have  been  betrayed; 
the  enemy  is  within  our  lines ;  immediate  flight  from  here 
is  necessary. ' ' 

Followed  by  the  emperor  and  a  few  faithful  attaches, 
Breton  quickly  made  his  way  across  the  plaza.  A  num- 
ber of  regiments  had  already  gone  over  to  the  enemy, 
who  without  the  firing  of  a  gun  were  in  possession  of  the 
city  which  had  made  such  an  heroic  defense. 

The  news  had  spread  rapidly.  Toward  the  height  of 
the  town  the  few  remaining  loyal  soldiers  were  converg- 
ing for  the  last  stand  for  the  empire.  Word  had  been 
immediately  sent  to  Miramon  and  Mejia  to  join  him  with 
what  troops  they  could  on  the  heights  where  they  still 
had  a  battery. 

The  handful  of  determined  men  gathered  around  Maxi- 
milian, and  the  batteries  which  opened  upon  them  could 
not  subdue  their  intense  patriotism.  To  the  end,  fight- 
ing with  their  face  to  the  foe  in  defense  of  Maximilian, 
they  fell. 

The  emperor  saw  that  his  cause  was  hopeless  and  that 
further  sacrifice  of  life  was  needless.  Calling  Mejia  and 
Breton  to  his  side  he  said : 

"It  seems  impossible  for  us  either  to  break  through  or 
to  hold  out  against  the  enemy.  There  is  a  limit  to  all 


312  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

effort,  and  no  man  can  give  proof  of  possessing  higher 
courage  or  a  more  unselfish  patriotism  than  you.  I  ap- 
preciate your  unswerving  loyalty ;  but  human  endurance 
cannot  stand  more;  we  must  surrender."  Old  Mejia,  tlie 
hero  of  a  hundred  fights,  smiled  grimly  as  he  said : 

"Your  majesty,  I  have  left  a  handful  of  cavalry.  I  care 
nothing  for  my  life,  but  I  dislike  the  responsibility  of 
leading  you  to  certain  death. ' ' 

"Enough,  my  dear  general;  order  the  white  flag  dis- 
played, ' '  replied  the  emperor  in  a  sad  tone. 

The  firing  ceased,  and  shortly  after  Escobedo,  accom- 
panied by  his  staff,  came  to  demand  the  sword  of  the 
imperial  ruler  of  Mexico. 

The  emperor  acompanied  by  his  generals,  was  escorted 
to  prison  quarters.  As  they  crossed  the  plaza  they  were 
halted  by  some  commotion.  Biding  beside  the  emperor, 
Breton  saw  in  the  distance,  surrounded  by  Mexican 
officers,  the  traitor  Lopez,  in  full  enjoyment  of  his  lib- 
erty. Some  fighting  had  caused  the  delay,  and  as  Bre- 
ton looked  in  the  direction  of  the  traitor  he  saw  a  tall 
form  towering  far  above  the  Mexican  soldiers  sweep 
through  the  ranks  ahead.  One  glance  told  him  that  it 
was  Von  Hahn.  His  face  was  livid  with  hate,  and  in  his 
remaining  arm  was  clutched  a  sword  that  he  got  from  an 
officer  on  the  way.  The  cowardly  Lopez  saw  him,  and  in 
an  affrighted  tone  called  upon  the  men  to  arrest  Von 
Hahn.  A  dozen  men  attempted  to  stay  the  progress  of 
the  Prussian,  who,  weakened  by  the  loss  of  blood  from 
the  recent  loss  of  his  arm,  was  in  no  condition  with  his 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  343 

one  arm  to  throw  off  the  men  who  flung  themselves  upon 
him. 

"Off,  men,  you  are  soldiers;  yon  traitor  is  a  disgrace 
to  the  name  of  soldier  and  the  uniform  he  wears," 
shouted  the  maddened  Prussian.  He  was  pressed  to  the 
earth,  but  with  a  final  wrench  he  threw  off  his  assailants, 
struggled  to  his  feet,  snatched  a  pistol  from  the  belt  of 
an  officer  near  him,  and  fired  it  at  Lopez  with  the  excla- 
mation on  his  lips : 

"Death  to  all  traitors,  curse  them!" 

His  aim  was  good,  and  had  not  Lopez's  horse  just  then 
given  a  quick  turn  the  Judas  of  Queretaro  would  have 
met  his  just  deserts ;  as  it  was,  the  ball  sped  through  the 
protruding  ear  of  the  traitor,  who  wore  through  life  the 
ineffaceable  brand  of  his  black  crime  placed  upon  him  by 
the  brave  Prussian. 

Poor  Von  Hahn !  his  valor  cost  him  his  life ;  for  no 
sooner  were  his  last  words  spoken  and  the  shot  fired  than 
he  sank  to  the  earth  expiring  from  a  dozen  wounds.  Be- 
fore Breton  could  reach  his  side  his  spirit  had  fled,  and 
on  the  blood-stained  sword  lay  the  stiffening  corpse  of 
the  intrepid  soldier. 

Together  with  the  emperor  the  leading  imperial  officers 
were  thrown  into  prison  to  await  the  action  of  Juarez. 

Days  passed  and  the  unhappiness  of  the  prisoners  was 
further  accentuated  by  the  knowledge  that  each  day, 
under  the  order  of  Juarez,  a  number  of  officers  and  men 
of  the  imperial  army  were  taken  out  and  shot. 

Lafe  was  free  and  was  permitted  to  visit  Breton  at  will. 


344  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

Through  this  means  Armand  was  kept  in  close  touch  with 
the  gossip  of  the  officers  regarding  the  fate  of  the  emperor 
and  his  leading  generals.  Knowing  the  Mexican  prac- 
tice, gained  from  their  Spanish  conquerors,  he  was  aware 
that  the  shooting  of  prisoners  of  war  was  observed 
daily. 

He  believed  that  all  the  leading  officers  were  to  fall  by 
Mexican  bullets.  But  as  for  the  emperor,  Armand  did  not 
for  an  instant  entertain  the  belief  that  they  would  dare 
to  kill  him  through  fear  of  provoking  a  European  war. 
Again,  Escobedo  had  pledged  his  word  as  a  soldier  at  the 
time  of  their  surrender  that  they  should  be  treated  as 
prisoners  of  war. 

One  day  Laf  e  came  in  and  said  in  an  excited  tone : 

"Massa  Armand,  I'se  news  that'll  make  yo'  mighty 
pleased. ' ' 

''What  is  it,  Lafe  ?"  asked  the  officer.  "I  am  right  glad 
of  an  opportunity  to  be  pleased  these  days.  " 

"A  lady  las'  night  to  see  yo'.  I'se  been  roun'  to  get 
permission  fo'  her  to  call  upon  yo',  an1  she'll  be  here 
soon  now,  su'. " 

"A  lady  to  see  me?  Well,  what  can  she  want?  Mexi- 
can or  American,  Lafe?" 

"American.     It  am  Miss  Lucille. " 

"Lucille!"  and  the  officer's  face  flushed  with  emotion. 
Hardly  had  he  recovered  from  his  emotion  when  the  door 
was  opened  by  the  Mexican  guard,  and  his  darling  wife 
was  folded  in  his  arms. 

"Oh,  Armand,  dearest,"  she  cried,  "just  to  think  that 


THE  SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS.  345 

you  and  I  should  meet  in  this  horrid  old  prison !  Ugh ! 
these  old  stone  walls  of  your  convent  prison  make  me 
shudder. ' ' 

"Well,  my  darling,  I  regret  that  I  cannot  entertain  you 
in  more  sumptuous  quarters ;  but  you  see  your  coming 
was  so  unexpected!  Had  you  advised  me  I  might  have 
arranged  differently.  But,  Lucille,  how  came  you  down 
here  in  this  revolution-ridden  country?" 

"Why,  Armand,  how  could  I  remain  away  when  you 
were  in  danger?  When  we  came  back  from  Paris  you 
wrote  me  that  you  should  remain  with  Maximilian  after 
the  French  troops  were  withdrawn.  I  was  awfully  sorry 
that  you  so  decided.  But  while  your  letters  sent  m» 
from  this  city  contained  a  very  roseate  color  regarding 
your  situation,  the  reports  which  reached  me  from  other 
sources  did  not.  The  newspaper  correspondents  all  ex- 
pressed themselves  emphatically  that  Queretaro  must  fall, 
and  with  it  the  empire.  You  see  the  Juarez  government 
is  very  popular  in  our  country,  and  the  sympathy  of  our 
people  is  with  the  native  element. 

"In  times  past  they  have  not  expressed  much  sympathy 
for  the  Mexicans ;  at  least  that  sympathy  did  not  prevent 
them  from  slicing  off  some  of  Mexico's  choicest  territory 
and  annexing  it, ' '  grimly  replied  the  soldier. 

"But,  dear,  the  Americans  have  no  sympathy  with 
Maximilian's  government;  and  as  I  said,  the  war  corre- 
spondents here  have  predicted  the  fail  of  Queretaro.  And 
knowing  that  you  were  here,  I  thought  it  my  duty  to 
come  and  be  with  you,  and  if  I  could  not  lend  you  any 


346  THE  SWORD  OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

real  assistance  I   could   help   to   cheer  you   up   by  my 
presence. ' ' 

"And  so  you  have,  my  brave  little  woman;  your  own 
sweet  presence  is  the  first  ray  of  sunshine  that  has  lighted 
my  prison  walls  since  we  became  Escobedo's  prisoners. 
But  tell  me  how  did  you  manage  to  get  through  the 
lines?" 

"That  was  very  easy  to  manage.  Papa  wrote  to  the 
secretary  of  state,  and  from  him  obtained  a  letter  to 
Juarez  asking  that  I  be  permitted  to  pass  through  unde- 
tained.  I  must  say  that  I  have  been  treated  very  courte- 
ously. Everything  has  been  done  to  facilitate  my  getting 
here.  But,  Armand,  they  do  tell  such  dreadful  stories 
that  I  am  so  worried.  They  say — those  cruel  Mexicans, ' ' 
and  Lucille 's  blue  eyes  filled  with  tears,  "that  Juarez 
will  not  permit  any  one  of  high  military  rank  to  escape 
the  death  penalty;  and  that — that  you  will  all  be  shot. 
It  is  so  terrible, ' '  and  Lucille  laid  her  head  on  her  hus- 
band's shoulder  and  sobbed  aloud.  Armand  stroked  her 
hair  softly,  as  he  said:  "Little  sweetheart,  don't  let  the 
idle  gossip  of  the  soldiers  worry  you ;  let  me  kiss  away 
your  tears.  There  is  no  probability  that  we  will  be  exe- 
cuted. It  is  true  that  a  number  have  been  shot,  but 
they  have  all  been  Mexicans,  against  whom  the  Juarez 
faction  seems  particularly  bitter.  No  foreigner  has  been 
executed  as  yet,  and  don't  let  your  pretty  eyes  get 
dimmed  by  tears  over  the  thought  that  any  will  be.  Had 
it  been  the  intention  of  Juarez  to  execute  us  it  would  have 
been  done  sooner." 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  347 

"Still,  those  awful  rumors,"  said  Lucille,  smiling 
through  her  tears.  "In  Mexico  it  was  reported  that  no 
one  of  rank  would  be  spared. ' ' 

Try  as  he  would  the  officer  could  not  entirely  quiet 
his  wife's  fears,  but  it  was  with  a  much  lighter  heart  that 
Lucille  took  her  departure. 

She  visited  her  husband  daily  and  all  the  while  dis- 
patches were  flying  between  San  Luis  Potosi  and  Quere- 
taro,  relative  to  the  final  disposition  of  the  chief  pris- 
oners. 


348  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 


CHAPTER 


THE   EXECUTION. 

LAFE  was  in  close  touch  with  the  official  rumors,  and 
he  learned  much  that  he  did  not  impart  to  either  Armand 
or  Lucille.  From  all  that  he  gleaned  he  deduced  the 
belief  that  the  Liberals  intended  to  put  the  leading  Im- 
perialists to  death  ;  and  he  concluded  that  the  only  way 
to  save  his  beloved  chief  from  such  a  fate  was  to  assist 
him  to  get  free  from  the  enemy's  clutches.  Lafe  was 
keen-witted,  and  one  day  he  heard  through  one  of  the 
residents  of  Queretaro  of  an  old  rumor  of  the  existence  of 
a  tunnel  leading  from  the  convent  to  the  Rio  Blanco.  He 
visited  a  gray-haired  priest  who  was  favorable  to  Maxi- 
milian, and  from  him  he  learned  that  the  ancient  stone 
convent  where  the  prisoners  were  confined  had  been  built 
during  the  Spanish  conquest  and  that  a  tunnel  had  been 
dug  from  it  to  the  river,  which  in  time  of  siege  would 
enable  its  inmates  either  to  make  their  escape  or  to  bring 
in  reinforcements.  In  later  days  the  entrance  from  the 
convent  had  been  walled  up  and  its  very  existence  had 
been  forgotten.  No  one  save  the  priests  knew  in  what 
part  of  the  convent  it  was  located.  To  Lafe  the  good 
father  imparted  all  the  information  at  his  disposal,  and 


THE  SWORD   OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  349 

volunteered  to  assist  the  emperor  and  his  aids  to  escape. 
He  visited  the  river  bank,  and  disclosed  to  the  ex-slave 
the  entrance  to  the  tunnel.  Lafe  labored  for  a  day  or 
two  and  cleared  out  the  debris.  He  worked  on  the 
masonry  at  the  convent  end  and  removed  all  but  one 
thickness  of  the  wall.  He  then  was  ready  to  impart  his 
plan  of  escape  to  Breton,  who  was  overjoyed  to  learn  of 
the  means  open  to  them  to  slip  through  Juarez's  clutches. 
Lafe,  with  the  aid  of  friendly  Mexicans,  procured  horses, 
arms  and  equipments  for  flight,  and  stationed  them  on  the 
river  bank  near  the  exit  of  the  passage.  Once  mounted  the 
emperor  and  his  generals  could  laugh  at  pursuit.  Breton 
communicated  the  information  to  the  emperor,  and  to  his 
amazement  he  received  from  him  the  information  that  he 
would  not  seek  to  escape.  Escobedo  had  pledged  his 
word  that  they  should  be  treated  as  prisoners  of  war,  and 
he  placed  faith  in  his  promise.  Miramon  and  Mejia  both 
agreed  with  Breton  that  it  was  well  that  they  should 
leave  Queretaro  while  an  avenue  was  still  open  to  them. 
The  emperor  was  immovable,  and  while  he  urged  that  the 
others  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity,  he  stated  that 
he  should  make  no  effort  to  leave  his  prison. 

The  men  all  tried  to  break  his  resolution,  saying  that 
once  south  he  could  raise  a  loyal  "army  and  that  the 
empire  would  still  be  triumphant ;  but  all  to  no  effect. 
The  officers  swore  that  they  would  be  faithful  to  the  end 
to  the  emperor ;  they  would  not  desert  him  in  his  darkest 
hour. 

Lafe  came  in  to  see  Armand,  and  it  was  plain  that  the 


350  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

poor  fellow  was  downcast.     Armand  quickly   saw   that 
something  was  amiss,  and  asked  the  cause  of  his  trouble. 

"Cunnel  Armand,  I's  broken-hearted.  To-day  a  Mexi- 
can soldier  found  the  opening  of  the  tunnel  down  by  the 
river,  and  there  is  now  a  guard  put  there,  an'  any  one 
going  oat  now  would  run  into  a  trap." 

"Well,  my  good  Lafe,  don't  let  that  bother  you.  The 
emperor  will  not  accompany  us  and  we  will  never  leave 
him ;  so  I  fail  to  see  of  what  use  the  old  tunnel  will  be  to 
us  anyhow.  We  will  never  use  it. ' ' 

A  sigh  of  unhappiness  escaped  Lafe,  as  he  replied : 

"There's  mo'  bad  news." 

"Of  what  nature?" 

"Word's  just  come  from  the  Mexican  president  that 
the  emperor  and  all  yo'  will  be  placed  befo'  a  co't-mar- 
tial,  and  if  that  tunnel  was  open  now,  I  reckon  that  yo' 
emperor  wouldn't  be  quite  so  particular." 

A  court-martial — such  an  order  from  Juarez  and  a 
death  warrant  were  synonymous.  The  last  avenue  of 
escape  had  been  closed;  the  officer's  heart  sank. 

Lucille  was  heart-broken  when  the  news  was  told  her, 
as  she  at  once  divined  that  the  court-martial  meant  that 
the  seal  of  death  had  been  set  upon  the  prisoners. 

But  one  course  seemed  open  to  her — to  exert  her  influ- 
ence in  behalf  of  the  prisoners — to  leave  Queretaro  and 
intercede  in  their  behalf  with  the  Mexican  president. 
After  a  tearful  and  affectionate  farewell,  and  with  a  heart 
heavy  with  sorrow,  she  left  Armand  to  journey  to  where 
Juarez  held  his  seat  of  government. 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  351 

In  the  meanwhile  the  judicial  farce  had  begun  in  the 
Iturbide  Theater,  where  the  accused  emperor  with  his 
generals  were  placed  on  trial. 

The  trial  was  mockery,  a  hideous  burlesque  of  justice. 
The  judges,  some  of  whom  were  mere  boys  and  unedu- 
cated, cared  nothing  for  the  testimony.  Their  appear- 
ance there  was  only  to  give  a  mock  semblance  of  justice. 
It  was  blood  that  they  wanted.  Juarez  had  decided  that 
the  emperor  must  die. 

His  presence  was  a  menace  to  his  government.  He 
still  had  a  strong  party  in  the  country.  His  death  would 
forever  put  an  end  to  European  intermeddling  with  Mexi- 
can affairs,  and  he  knew  with  a  tolerable  certainty  that  no 
power  would  declare  war  against  Mexico  merely  to 
avenge  the  death  of  Maximilian  after  the  experience  of 
the  emperor  of  the  French.  Then  there  was  a  clamor 
that  would  not  down  on  the  part  of  his  followers,  for 
royal  blood.  There  also  was  a  rare  opportunity  for 
revenging  the  Republican  principle  on  that  of  the  mon- 
archy which  the  capture  of  the  emperor  gave  them. 

No  matter  if  Maximilian  believed  in  the  honesty  of  his 
election  as  emperor;  he  must  die  to  satisfy  the  fierce 
clamor  of  the  Mexicans. 

As  Breton,  who  sat  in  the  theater  with  Miramon  and 
Mejia,  listened  to  the  testimony  he  recalled  to  mind  the 
opinion  of  General  D'Arville  anent  the  possible  damage 
to  Maximilian  in  signing  the  unfortunate  decree  punish- 
ing all  brigands  with  death.  He  had  been  told  by  the 
emperor  that  he  intended  it  should  only  apply  to  robbers, 


352  THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

and  then  that  he  himself  should  decide  upon  each  case. 
Bazaine  and  the  priests,  however,  Breton  learned,  had 
made  additions  to  suit  themselves  to  the  decree,  and  the 
law  in  its  severity  had  been  applied  to  soldiers  as  well  as 
brigands.  The  wisdom  of  Napoleon's  request  that  the 
law  be  modified  was  now  clear.  That  fatal  decree  was  to 
be  Maximilian's  death  warrant. 

It  was  unjust  to  make  Maximilian  responsible  for  the 
transgressions  of  Bazaine  or  the  misdeeds  of  the  priests ; 
but  it  was  not  justice  that  the  court-martial  in  Queretaro 
wanted.  The  verdict  of  guilty  was  surprising  to  no  one. 

After  some  delay  it  was  decided  that  Maximilian  and 
his  three  generals  should  be  shot  on  the  19th  of  June  in 
the  early  morning.  Such  was  the  decision  of  the  court, 
indorsed  by  Escobedo. 

The  night  before  his  execution  Armand  paced  the  floor 
of  his  cell  in  deep  meditation. 

In  San  Luis  Potosi,  on  bended  knees,  before  the  Indian 
president,  was  his  wife  pleading  for  the  lives  of  the  men 
who  had  been  sentenced  to  death. 

Juarez  was  much  affected  by  the  passionate  entreaty  of 
Lucille,  who  with  trembling  lips  asked  a  respite  for 
Armand  and  those  with  him.  The  president's  swarthy 
face  was  pale  and  showed  mental  suffering. 

Finally  he  said  in  firm  tones : 

"Madam,  what  you  ask  it  is  impossible  for  me  to 
grant ;  as  a  citizen  I  should  like  to  spare  their  lives,  but 
as  chief  executive  I  cannot ;  and  to  grant  a  respite  would 
only  be  to  prolong  the  agony ;  they  must  die  to-morrow. " 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  353 

At  the  cruel  words  Lucille  became  frantic  with  grief 
and  convulsively  grasped  the  knees  of  the  president, 
while  she  sobbed  aloud  her  prayers  to  spare  her  husband's 
life. 

Tears  came  to  the  eyes  of  the  stern  Juarez  as  he  lifted 
the  grief-stricken  woman,  and  said  in  a  voice  which 
trembled  with  emotion : 

"Deeply  grieved  am  T,  madam,  to  see  you  on  your 
knees  before  me.  I  regret  that  I  am  an  instrument  in 
the  hands  of  a  supreme  power,  ordained  to  carry  out  this 
decree  which  brings  suffering  and  sorrowing  upon  you 
and  others.  General  Miramon's  wife  has  also  entreated 
me  to  spare  the  life  of  her  husband.  But  the  same  reply 
that  I  made  to  her  must  I  also  repeat  to  you.  If  all  the 
queens  and  kings  of  Europe,  and  all  the  rulers  of  the 
world  were  in  your  place,  I  could  not  spare  those  lives. 
It  is  not  I  who  take  them ;  it  is  the  Mexican  people ;  it  is 
the  law  of  the  country ;  and  should  I  not  obey  its  man- 
date this  unhappy  land  would  be  plunged  into  further 
war ;  the  people  would  take  the  lives  of  those  men,  and 
mine  also." 

Concluding,  Juarez  raised  the  half-swooning  woman, 
assisted  her  tenderly  to  a  couch,  and  left  the  room. 

The  last  hope  was  gone.  Below,  in  the  city  of  Quere- 
taro,  four  men  were  making  preparations  to  take  their 
departure  from  this  world  and  solve  the  mysteries  of  the 
next.  The  unfortunate  Maximilian  passed  the  night 
arranging  his  papers,  writing  to  his  friends  and  address- 
ing letters  of  thanks  to  his  loyal  supporters. 


354  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

Armand  Breton,  the  fighting  son  of  a  warlike  sire, 
wrote  a  long  and  affectionate  letter  to  his  devoted  wife. 
Page  after  page  of  closely  written  matter  did  he  direct 
to  the  woman  who  even  then  lay  in  a  deathly  swoon  in 
the  president's  audience  chamber.  This  completed,  he 
wrote  a  few  letters  to  intimate  friends,  to  Lloyd  Phillips 
and  others.  His  mind  was  perfectly  calm,  and  his  nerves 
were  unshaken.  He  had  been  face  to  face  with  death  on 
innumerable  occasions,  and  Armand  Breton  was  no  cow- 
ard. His  farewells  all  written,  he  glanced  at  his  watch  ; 
six  hours  more  and  his  lifeless  corpse  would  be  lying 
under  the  shadow  of  the  hills.  He  thought  of  a  future 
existence.  His  mind  had  always  been  full  of  mysticism. 
In  Paris  he  had  listened  to  the  teachings  of  a  well-known 
philosopher,  and  with  him  he  had  discussed  the  question 
in  relation  to  the  hypothesis  of  a  soul  essentially  distinct 
from  the  body.  Vividly  ran  the  current  of  his  thoughts. 
The  existence  of  a  soul,  where  was  it?  In  what  part  of 
the  body  was  it  domiciled  ?  Of  what  organ  was  it  the 
motive  power?  Was  it  in  the  brain  that  it  resided? 
Was  it  his  heart  that  set  it  in  motion?  His  soul  was  his 
intelligence,  the  ensemble  of  his  ideas;  developed  and 
acquired  by  labor,  the  improvement  of  his  physical  in- 
stincts augmented  and  refined  until  they  became  moral 
Qualities.  He  was  sad  at  the  thought  of  leaving  his 
dearly-loved  wife.  Was  it  his  soul  that  was  thus  affected  ? 
He  laid  aside  his  garments  and  lay  down  upon  his  couch 
to  rest,  while  the  measured  tread  of  the  sentinel  before 
his  door  was  the  only  sound  that  broke  the  silence  of  the 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  355 

night.  He  soon  fell  into  a  sound  slumber,  and  his 
dreams  carried  him  back  to  familiar  scenes  of  his  life — 
back  to  the  happy  days  in  Paris — back  to  the  battlefields 
of  the  Confederacy.  Old  sights  and  scenes  and  memories 
came  back  to  him  vividly  and  clearly.  Still,  through  the 
mysterious  agency  of  dreams,  he  saw  with  distinctness 
events  of  an  age  before  he  was  born.  There  were  scenes 
reproduced  from  French  Revolution,  and  he  seemed  to  be 
an  actor  there.  Then  there  were  glimpses  of  the  Napo- 
leonic wars  all  brought  before  him.  And  strange  to  say, 
all  of  the  sights  seemed  familiar  to  him.  They  all  ap- 
peared to  be  pictures  on  the  sensitive  plate  of  the  brain. 
The  lines  of  heredity  are  difficult  to  follow,  and  the  link 
between  generation  and  generation  sometimes  is  strong, 
sometimes  weak — but  talent — personal  likeness  may  be 
the  happy  gift  handed  down  by  father  to  son.  Who  may 
not  say  without  fear  of  contradiction  that  the  memories 
and  passions  and  emotions  that  stirred  those  dead  hearts 
to  their  center  may  not  be  a  part  of  our  inheritance? 
The  setting,  the  connection  is  gone,  but  the  memory  of 
the  emotion  remains.  Such  and  such  nerves  have  quiv- 
ered violently  for  such  a  cause,  the  memory  stores  and 
transmits  the  impression — a  similar  incident  sets  them 
tingling  again  though  generations  intervene. 

Every  one  has  felt  many  times  in  his  life  a  sense  of 
familiarity  with  incidents  and  scenes  that  have  had  no 
place  in  his  own  experience,  and  has  found  it  impossible 
to  offer  any  explanation  of  the  feeling.  IB  it  wrong  to 
believe  that  these  incidents  formed  a  part  of  the  lives  of 


356  THE   SWORD   OF  THE   PYRAMIDS. 

our  ancestors,  through  them  transmitted  to  us?  The 
brain  always  retains  impressions,  and  why  not  impres- 
sions transmitted  to  descendants  as  well  as  talents  or 
vices  ?  That  the  memory  uses  in  sleep  the  material  it  has 
gathered  during  the  day,  and  during  the  life,  cannot 
well  be  disputed.  Why  not  go  further  back  and  say  that 
the  dual  part  of  ourselves  reproduces  that  part  in  our 
dreams  that  come  to  us  from  the  mental  photographs 
taken  by  an  ancestor? 

The  sensitive  plate  of  the  brain  never  loses  any  clear 
picture  that  it  has  once  received.  The  picture  may  re- 
main long  hidden  under  the  dust  of  time,  but  some 
sudden  need  or  accident  will  bring  it  ink)  life  with  star- 
tling distinctness.  The  profound  stirring  of  emotions 
awakens  the  mind  to  activity,  and  at  such  times  the 
hereditary  pictures  of  the  brain  are  developed.  While 
Breton  was  physically  calm,  all  the  hidden  mines  of  his 
brain  were  active,  and  for  him  the  door  was  ajar  into  that 
mysterious  inexplicable  world  of  mental  photography. 

He  saw  plainly  scenes  which  formed  a  part  of  his  father's 
life.  He  saw  the  crowning  of  Napoleon;  he  saw  the 
emperor  place  his  crown  upon  the  head  of  Josephine. 
Kaleidoscopic  views  of  his  father's  career  were  constantly 
presented  to  his  vision.  At  last  he  came  to  a  picture 
that  seemed  specially  to  fascinate  him.  It  was  the  inte- 
rior of  a  large,  well-furnished  room.  It  was  evidently 
occupied  by  a  military  man,  judging  from  its  furnish- 
ings. A  uniform  was  carelessly  thrown  across  a  chair, 
while  on  the  table  were  maps  and  books.  On  the  walls 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  357 

were  suspended  a  number  of  swords.  A  man  was  lying 
upon  a  couch  in  one  corner  of  the  room  with  his  face 
turned  from  him.  The  only  thing  which  looked  out  of 
place  was  a  small  barred  window.  The  door  opened,  a 
man  in  uniform  entered.  He  evidently  called  to  the 
sleeping  occupant,  who  now  arose  and  proceeded  to  dress 
with  exceeding  care ;  his  face  all  the  while  was  turned 
from  Armand.  Some  strange  fascination  held  his  gaze 
to  the  tall,  magnificently-formed  soldier,  who,  having 
complete  dressing,  turned  and  took  from  the  wall  a  sword. 
The  blade  seemed  familiar ;  and  as  the  soldier  turned  full 
around,  Armand  saw  that  he  was  none  other  than  his  own 
father.  It  was  the  face  and  figure  of  Marshal  Ney.  A 
bitter  smile  swept  over  his  features ;  then  he  started  back 
after  he  had  examined  the  sword  and  laid  it  upon  the 
table.  Strangely  interested  and  impelled  by  some  occult 
power,  Armand  looked  at  the  blade.  It  was  queerly 
wrought  and  upon  its  hilt  glowed  a  number  of  gems. 

Now  he  knew  it  all. 

"My  God!"  he  cried  aloud,  "my  dream!  It  is  the 
sword  of  the  pyramids,  and  I  am  gazing  upon  my  own 
father  as  he  prepares  for  execution." 

Bathed  in  cold  perspiration  he  sat  upright  on  his 
couch,  while  he  gathered  together  his  scattered  senses. 
They  slowly  came  back  to  him.  To-morrow  he  was  to 
die,  and  there  upon  the  wall  of  his  room  hung  the  ac- 
cursed sword  of  the  pyramids — the  blade  with  its  fateful 
history.  His  brain  grew  clearer.  "Its  record  remains 
unbroken  with  me.  I  have  fought  against  Juarez  and 


358  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

have  lost ;  I  am  to  be  executed  as  other  wearers  of  the  old 
sultan's  sword  have  been,"  he  muttered,  as  he  gazed 
upon  the  historic  blade  as  it  swung  suspended  before 
him.  Impelled  by  some  magnetic  force  Armand  advanced 
to  the  wall  where  the  fatal  sword  was  resting.  He  un- 
sheathed it,  and  turned  it  slowly  in  his  hands.  "The 
curse  of  the  old  sultan  still  clings  to  it,"  he  thought, 
"and  to  whom  shall  I  bequeathe  this  fatal  legacy?  Ah, 
I  have  it !  And  now  I  have  only  a  short  time  to  dress 
before  my  escort  arrives  to  accompany  me  to  the  spot 
where  we  are  to  be  executed — executed!  God,  how  that 
word  grates  upon  my  nerves!  I,  in  the  full  flush  of 
young  manhood,  shot  like  a  brigand !  Well,  I  have  noble 
companions!  And  this  is  the  end  of  Maximilian's  dream 
of  a  Mexican  empire.  They  call  us  adventurers,  and  fol- 
lowing the  same  narrow  rule,  every  one  who  is  actuated 
by  laudable  ambition  to  seek  a  proper  field  for  the  devel- 
opment of  his  mind  outside  the  narrow  pale  of  his  home, 
is  styled  by  the  unthinking  an  adventurer.  Methinks 
without  so-called  adventurers  the  world  would  move  a 
trifle  backward.  Well,  a  short  ride — then  death.  In 
truth  the  thought  is  not  pleasant." 

Shortly  after  Lafe  entered  his  cell.  He  had  come  for 
a  nobler  purpose  than  that  of  saying  farewell  to  his  much- 
loved  leader.  Lafe  loved  Armand  with  the  devotion 
which  a  faithful  hound  pays  to  his  master.  He  had  fol- 
lowed the  valiant  officer  through  many  a  campaign,  and 
worshiped  him.  After  Armand  had  greeted  him  warmly 
he  said : 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  359 

"Massa  Armand,  we's  been  little  boys  together;  an* 
my  po'  heart  is  mos'  broken  to  have  you  killed  befo'  me. 
My  life  is  yours,  and  I  want  to  say,  let  me  take  your 
place;  we  can  change  clothes,  you  can  jus'  pass  right  out, 
same  as  if  'twas  me,  and  I'll  stay  here ;  we're  pretty  near 
the  same  size,  an'  these  soldiers  who'll  be  here  to  take 
you  away  in  a  few  minutes  don't  know  you  by  sight,  an' 
I'll  jus'  go  down  and  get  shot  in  your  place,  an'  you  can 
get  out  of  this  country,  an'  nobody '11  miss  you — an' — 
you'll  think  of  Lafe  once  in  awhile — "  And  Lafe's  voice 
trembled.  Armand 's  eyes  filled  with  tears,  so  deeply  was 
he  affected  by  the  noble  offer  of  sacrifice  on  the  part  of 
his  former  slave ;  it  was  a  moment  or  two  before  he  could 
control  his  feelings  to  say : 

"Lafe,  my  good  Lafe,  your  devotion  to  me  is  of  a 
truth  the  noblest.  No  man  can  offer  more  to  his  fellow- 
man  than  his  life — to  die  for  him !  Such  an  offer  is  more 
than  heroic,  it  is  divine,  and  I  shall  go  to  my  death  with 
a  heart  overflowing  with  tender  memories  of  you  and  of 
your  more  than  generous  offer.  But,  Lafe,  I  am  a  man 
— a  soldier,  and  must  die  a  soldier's  death.  Think, 
Lafe !  I  could  never  look  my  brother  man  in  the  face,  and 
say  that  I  had  a  substitute  die  for  me !  Even  if  I  could 
accept  your  proposition,  I  should  be  haunted  the  remain- 
der of  my  life,  sleeping  and  waking,  with  the  thought 
that  I  was  cowardly  enough  to  let  another  man  perish  in 
my  stead.  No,  the  dice  have  been  thrown,  and  my  life 
is  the  prize  lost.  I  shall  die  with  those  with  whom  I 
have  served,  Lafe,"  Then  taking  both  the  man's  hands 


360  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

in  his  he  added,  "From  the  bottom  of  my  heart  I  thank 
you." 

,  "But,  Massa  Armand, "  sobbed  Lafe,  "think  of  po' 
Miss  Lucille.  If  yo'  won't  accept  my  offer  fo'  yo'  own 
sake,  let  me  go  fo'  you  fo'  Miss  Lucille.  Yo'  all  can  go 
away  somewhere  an'  live  happy  together." 

"Don't,  Lafe,  try  to  tempt  me;  my  mind  is  unchange- 
able, and  you  only  make  the  parting  harder  for  me  by 
reminding  me  of  the  happiness  which  we  hoped  would 
come  to  us  in  this  life.  The  fates  have  ruled  otherwise. ' ' 

Lafe  still  urged  that  the  doomed  man  permit  him  to 
die  in  his  stead,  and  was  earnestly  pleading  when  the 
guard  opened  the  door  and  announced  that  in  a  few 
minutes  the  soldiers  would  arrive  to  escort  the  prisoner 
to  the  place  of  execution.  Armand  had  hardly  time  to 
finish  dressing  when  Colonel  Palacios,  himself  a  veteran, 
entered  the  cell,  and  said:  "General  Breton,  it  is  my 
painful  duty  to  inform  you  that  the  time  has  come  for 
me  to  carry  out  my  instructions  and  convey  you  to  the 
Cerro  de  Campano,  where  the  sentence  of  the  court  will 
be  carried  out." 

Breton  bowed,  as  he  replied : 

"I  am  ready;  you  need  not  tarry  here  forme;"  then 
turning,  he  embraced  the  weeping  Lafe  and  added: 
"Lafe,  I  have  a  last  request  to  make.  I  wish  you  to 
take  this  sword, ' '  lifting  the  weapon  from  the  table  as  he 
spoke,  "to  Colonel  Manuel  Lopez;  present  it  to  him  with 
my  compliments.  Tell  him  it  is  of  ancient  make,  the 
result  of  the  skill  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  sword 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  361 

makers  that  the  world  has  ever  seen.  It  has  a  history  too 
long  t«  relate  now,  but  tell  him  that  my  last  wish  is  that 
its  history  may  be  repeated  with  him;"  and  with  one 
more  enibrazo  the  gallant  soldier  stepped  briskly  out  to  a 
fiacre,  seated  himself  therein  beside  Colonel  Palacios, 
and  was  driven  rapidly  away  with  the  emperor  and  his 
loyal  generals  to  the  place  of  execution. 

Scarcely  a  word  was  spoken  during  the  ride.  The 
doomed  men  were  pale,  and  there  were  tense  lines  across 
their  faces. 

The  morning  was  perfect,  and  nature  was  tuned  to 
nothing  harsher  than  the  songs  of  birds  and  the  distant 
tinkle  of  the  bells.  The  sky  above  was  of  Italian  hue, 
while  on  the  distant  horizon  hovered  fleecy  clouds. 
Nature  was  in  her  sweetest  mood,  and  the  entrancing 
beauties  of  the  June  morning  with  its  exhilarating  atmos- 
phere seemed  in  bitter  contrast  with  the  depressed  spirits 
of  the  men  who  were  so  soon  to  be  ushered  out  of  the 
world. 

Breton  heaved  a  sigh,  and  turning  to  Maximilian  said : 
"A  beautiful  world  to  leave,  your  majesty!" 
"Yes,"    replied    Maximilian    sadly.     "The   heavenly 
artist  has   painted  a  sweet-scented   picture;  the  air  is 
redolent  with  the  perfume  of  flowers.     I  had  hoped  to 
die  on  such  a  day ;  and  on  this  bright  morning,  after  a 
brief  reign  in  Mexico,  I  hold  Death's  iron  scepter  in  my 
hand." 

"Ah!"  said  Breton,  "nature  has  a  voice  of  gladness 
and  a  smile,  and  eloquence  of  beauty,  but  the  caravan 


362  THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

moves  on.  Death  pours  out  his  cordial  wine,  dropped 
from  war's  crushing  presses;  we  will  drain  the  glass,  your 
majesty!  I  share  your  destiny.  I  have  sailed  my  bark 
over  life's  stormy  seas,  and  at  last  have  stranded  upon  the 
unseen  shores  of  the  mystic  sea. ' ' 

The  men  tenderly  embraced,  after  which  they  were 
moved  forward  to  an  adobe  wall.  Soldiers  in  the  form  of 
a  square  were  placed  on  the  three  remaining  sides.  After 
they  had  assumed  their  respective  positions,  addressing 
the  soldiers,  Maximilian  in  a  clear,  firm  tone  said : 

"Mexicans — persons  of  my  rank  and  origin  are  destined 
by  God  to  be  benefactors  to  the  people — or  martyrs. 
Called  by  a  greater  part  of  you,  I  came  here  for  the  good 
of  the  country.  Ambition  did  not  bring  me  here.  I 
came  animated  with  the  best  wishes  for  my  adopted 
country  and  for  that  of  my  soldiers,  whom  I  thank  before 
my  death  for  the  sacrifices  they  have  made  for  me.  May 
my  blood  be  the  last  which  shall  be  shed  for  the  welfare 
of  the  country — viva  Mexico ! ' ' 

Miramon,  the  Stuart  of  Mexico,  ran  his  fingers  through 
his  flowing  black  locks,  and  in  a  defiant  tone  said : 

"Mexicans,  my  judges  have  condemned  me  to  death  as 
a  traitor  to  my  country.  I  never  was  a  traitor,  and 
request  that  you  do  not  suffer  this  stain  to  be  attached 
to  my  children." 

Old  Mejia,  the  intrepid  cavalry  leader: 

"I  fought  for  the  cause  that  I  believed  right,  and  do 
not  regret  the  choice  I  made. " 

Breton,  the  man,  in  whose  veins  coursed  the  blood  of 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.  363 

Napoleon's  great  marshal,  drew  himself  up  to  his  full 
height,  while  the  words  dropped  from  his  lips  as  clear  as 
a  bugle  blast : 

"I  am  a  soldier  of  fortune.  It  was  personal,  perhaps 
selfish  motives  which  drew  me  to  this  country.  Be  that 
as  it  may,  I  have  learned  to  love  your  emperor  for  his 
true  nobility  of  character.  "When  poets  shall  bring  the 
events  of  these  days  before  future  generations,  among 
Iheir  most  heroic  figures  will  be  that  of  the  German 
prince  whom  you  this  day  will  execute.  Viva  Maxi- 
milian!" 

An  officer  stepped  with  ten  men  to  a  point  within  a 
few  yards  of  the  emperor  and  his  comrades. 

Quick  words  of  command  were  spoken,  and  from  the 
ten  iron  tubes  there  leaped  a  flash  of  light,  while  on  the 
greensward  lay  four  corpses.  The  tragedy  in  Mexico 
was  over.  The  dream  of  a  Latin  empire  south  of  the  Kio 
Grande  vanished  in  that  smoke.  The  laws  of  destiny 
are  immutable. 

It  is  true  Juarez  was  the  executioner,  but  the  moral 
guilt  falls  upon  the  man  who  wielded  the  imperial  scepter 
over  the  French.  Poor  unhappy  France,  in  the  blood  of 
her  sons  and  the  ashes  of  their  homes,  may  she  have  to 
expiate  the  sins  of  her  ruler  against  Maximilian  and 
Mexico. 

FINIS. 


Till;  LIGHT 
'OF  STAR? 


THE   LIGHT 
OF    STARS 


BY 


BATTIED.BOBANNON 

12mo  Cloth  -  $1.00  net 


.  .  .  Revolves  round  the  love  of  the  young 
man  for  a  woman,  divorced,  wilful,  passionate  and 
fickle.  The  young  fellow  himself  is  a  nameless  child, 
and  leaving  his  grandfather's  home  nearly  kills  the  old 
man.  In  the  meantime,  the  woman  in  the  case  falls  in 
love  herself  with  the  young  man's  friend,  a  preacher, 
and  in  this  as  in  all  else  has  her  way.  This  is  the  tale, 
but  the  charm  of  it  lies  wholly  in  the  telling;  it  is 
Barrie  and  Texas,  soft  Southern  dialect  and  fierce 
Southern  temperaments,  all  together."  • — Boston  Globe. 

"...  gives  a  tenderly  sympathetic  revelation  of 
character  in  a  country  doctor's  narration  of  the  life 
story  of  his  young  protege,  Robert  March.  He  is  one 
who  conquers  the  misfortunes  of  base  birth,  neglect 
and  poverty,  whose  religious  faith  is  almost  shattered 
through  the  fickleness  of  a  woman,  but  who  overcomes 
and  becomes  altogether  worthy  and  exalted  in  char- 
acter."— Chicago  Daily  News. 

"A  'Find !'  A  Strong  Story  by  a  New  Writer." 
"I  knew  nothing  of  Hattie  Donovan  Bohannon  until 
I  saw  her  story  called  'The  Light  of  Stars.'  But  I 
want  to  say  that  she  is  a  woman  who  can  write.  She 
creates  that  elusive  thing  called  atmosphere,  the  quality 
that  hovers  around  the  work  of  the  strange  Bronte 
sisters,  the  quality  that  vibrates  in  the  tales  of  Harriet 
Prescott  Spofford.  It  has  that  quality  of  imaginative 
sympathy  that  completes  the  electric  circuit  between  the 
reader  and  the  people  of  the  printed  page.  .  .  .  Miss 
Bohannon,  please  pass  us  down  another  book." 

—EDWIN  MARKHAN  in  New  York  American. 


PSYCHIC-CONTROL 
Through  Self-Knowledge 

r 

WALTER    WINSTON    KENILWORTH 

This  book  commences  with  the  question: 
"What  is  Self?"  In  other  words,  it  enters 
into  the  vital  truths  concerning  the  soul,  and 
reveals  the  practical  attitude  the  mind 
should  bear  in  the  pursuit  of  spiritual  knowl- 
edge. He  drives  home  a  deep  truth  when  he 
summarizes  the  spiritual  consciousness  as  a 
development  of  a  moral  consciousness  in 
which  the  sympathies  of  the  soul  are  ex- 
tended beyond  their  narrow,  personal  area, 
and  embrace  all  life.  The  Universal  Brother- 
hood of  the  soul  with  all  animate  and  inani- 
mate beings  is  spoken  of  as  the  fundamental 
principle  of  self-control  and  self-knowledge. 

!  Those  interested  in  metaphysics  will  find 
that  the  author  has  familarized  himself  with 
the  incomparable  Vedanta  philosophy.  There 
is  an  effort  to  show  the  underlying  basis  of 
all  spiritual  truth;  that,  however  tinctured 
with  the  social,  political  or  theological  trend 
of  any  age,  there  is  a  spiritual  identity  per- 
meating all  faiths. 

8vo,  Cloth,  $2.00. 


"Shrine  of  Silence" 

By  HENRY  FRANK 


John  Burroughs  says  :  "  I  find  in  the  several  chapters  of  this  work, 
which  I  have  just  read  on  its  receipt,  unmistakable  evidence  of  the  foot- 
prints of  the  Spirit.  I  shall  follow  it  further  by  and  by." 

Ella  Wheeler  Wilcoz  says :  "  This  is  a  beautiful,  interesting  and 
most  helpful  work." 

Elbert  Hubbard  says :  "  It  is  a  charming  book, and  goes  straight  at 
the  heart  of  things  in  a  way  that  is  worth  while."  ^  f 

SUNDAY  PRESS  (Albany,  N.  Y.):  "A  remarkable  work.  While 
spiritual  and  philosophical,  it  possesses  a  charm  that  makes  It  as  read- 
able and  interesting  as  a  romance." 

THE  CALL  (San  Francisco,  Gal.):  "It  is  a  book  full  of  the  spirit 
of  natural  reverence;  entirely  free  from  dogmatic  expressions.  To 
students  who  are  sufficiently  up  to  date  to  be  interested  in  Cosmic  Vibra- 
tions, the  chapter  on  that  subject  will  be  instructive." 

THE  DAILY  PICAYUNE  (New  Orleans):  "The  book  is  both  inter- 
esting and  logical.  It  appeals  at  once  to  the  Christian  heart  and  serves 
as  •  beacon  light  to  the  Freethinker  who,  drifting  from  the  shores  of 
faith,  still  yearns  for  the  some  port  of  spiritual  comfort  and  repose." 

THE  CHRISTIAN  INTELLIGENCER  (N.  Y.  City):  "The  author 
will  be  recognized  as  the  brilliant  Lecturer  of  the  Metropolitan  Indepen- 
dent Church.  We  are,  therefore,  not  surprised  to  find  that  these  pages 
abound  with  beautiful  and  poetic  thoughts. 

THE  BULLETIN  (San  Francisco,  Cal.):  "The  author  of  this  book, 
seeking  to  obliterate  the  lines  of  demarkation  between  science  and  re- 
ligion, carries  the  reader  to  the  throne  of  truth  guided  by  the  torch  of 
reason." 

THE  ARENA  (Boston,  Mass.):  "  Here  are  over  one  hundred  medi- 
tations or  soul-prayers  giving  expression  to  the  higher  aspirations. 
Many  of  them  are  deeply  thoughtful  and  characterized  by  great  beauty. 
Some  of  them,  indeed,  are  prose  poems." 

HEALTH  CULTURE  (N.  Y.):  "  Henry  Frank  is  more  than  a  great 
thinker  and  splendid  teacher.  He  is  a  poet  and  a  music  maker.  His 
book  must  appeal  to  many." 


THIRD  THOUSAND,  275  pages,  beautifully  printed, 
with  initial  letters,  $1.00          * 

R.  F.  FENNO  &  CO.,    -    New  York 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


FEB16  '82 

|     RECT  ID-URl 

FEB  1  0  1982 


jua         j 

2  WEEK  LOAN 


315 


3   1158  00757  7736 


A     000  130  748     7 


